Contracts expand for
workplace coverage

The number of Australians covered by enterprise agreements in the Federal workplace relations system continues to grow according to a new report.
   The Trends in Enterprise Bargaining Report for the December quarter 2012 showed more than 3.3 million people were now working under enterprise agreements made under the Fair Work Act.
   The report revealed that the average annualised wage increase for all agreements approved in the December quarter 2012 stood at 3.4 per cent – down 0.2 per cent on the previous quarter – and wages growth varied across industries.
Fair Work Act serving 3.3 million

   Minister for Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten said the report also showed an additional 400,000 people were now covered under enterprise agreements.
   “This is the largest quarterly increase in the number of people covered by new agreements since the beginning of the Fair Work Act,” Mr Shorten said.
   “Having more working Australians involved in enterprise agreements helps benefit employers and employees by delivering sustainable wages growth and improved productivity.
   “We now have more than 3.3 million working Australians covered by over 24,000 enterprise agreements made under the Fair Work Act, providing more people with flexible working arrangements and entitlements that suit their needs and those of their employers.”
   He said it was encouraging that bargaining between employers and employees at the workplace level had led to better ways of working and was now widespread throughout the Australian economy.
   “The latest report shows this Government’s workplace relations policies are delivering productive and sustainable outcomes for Australian businesses and their employees,” Mr Shorten said.
   The report can be accessed at this PS News link.
Edition 352, 12 March 2013
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