Types of agreements

Part 2-4 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) deals with the making of various types of enterprise agreements — including rules relating to the process of collective bargaining between bargaining representatives.

Three kinds of enterprise agreements can be made under the FW Act: single-enterprise agreements, multi-enterprise agreements, and greenfields agreements.

Single-enterprise and multi-enterprise agreements are made between employers and employees (possibly with the involvement of unions and other bargaining representatives in the negotiation process).

Greenfields agreements (which may relate to a single enterprise or multiple enterprises) are made between employer(s) and one or more unions in relation to a genuine new business, activity, project or undertaking, before any employees are employed.

See Types of agreements.

Making a greenfields agreement

A greenfields agreement is a specific type of enterprise agreement made between employers and relevant employee organisations (ie, unions) in relation to a genuine new enterprise that the employer is establishing or proposing to establish before any of the people necessary for the normal conduct of the enterprise have been employed.

See Making a greenfields agreement.