Representatives of both the University and its staff members who will be covered by the proposed new Enterprise Agreement discuss proposed changes to the current conditions of employment. The discussions focus on ensuring that employment conditions enable UniSA to continue to attract and retain skilled staff, while also providing an industrial framework which supports the strategic directions of the University.
Typically, once the representatives have reached agreement, the new provisions are put to staff members to vote whether the proposed Agreement should be approved. If the outcome of the ballot is yes (because the majority of staff members who cast a valid vote approve the Agreement by voting in favour of the proposed new Agreement), then the Fair Work Commission will be asked to approve the Agreement which includes consideration of whether it meets certain requirements such as the “better off overall test”.
Once the proposed Agreement is approved by the Fair Work Commission, it replaces the current Agreement and commences to operate seven days after the approval or at a later date prescribed within the Agreement itself
The key steps of the bargaining process are outlined in the Overview of Bargaining Process at UniSA.