A single agreement for a national workforce

Our Client

Our client is a national retailer with a presence in all states and territories throughout Australia. The company has approximately 5,000 employees involved in retail.

Their Ambition

The retail industry was covered by a different industrial award in each state and territory. Our client wanted to streamline its administrative and payroll systems by introducing one standard enterprise agreement for all of its sales employees, regardless of location. This was to be the first such agreement for this employer and was particularly complicated given the different rates of pay and terms and conditions of employment that applied to its workforce across Australia. The employer had a chequered history with the Union, but it particularly wanted to achieve its aim of a cost effective single enterprise agreement with a minimum amount of disruption.

Enhancing their Success

We assisted our client to draft and negotiate the new enterprise agreement that was agreed with the Union and its workforce, and approved by Fair Work Australia. This agreement effectively sidestepped a number of different industrial awards with the result that our client's payroll and other administrative systems are not only easier to manage and implement, but are also cheaper. The negotiations with the Union were also successfully managed to help ensure a positive and collaborative outcome.

Behind the Headlines

This agreement was drafted and entered into during a time of great change to the laws governing workplace agreements. Our client relied on our experience and knowledge to stay on top of the shifting legislative environment and provide it with the best advice possible. This not only involved advising on the outgoing and incoming legal systems, but also advising at a strategic level on how to get the agreement over the line.

For more details, please contact:

Louise Houlihan, Partner

Phone (direct): +61 3 9608 2273

Email:                l.houlihan@cornwalls.com.au