Log in or become a subscriber

The Fair Work Commission's first contested single interest employer authorisation is important for all organisations, because it helps clarify when they might be roped in to EAs, and how to defend applications, a lawyer says.

As reported in this article, a full bench of the Commission found three employers had "clearly identifiable common interests" and "reasonably comparable" businesses, while accepting evidence from a fourth that it did not, says Kingston Reid partner Brad Popple.

Previous rulings under the multi-employer bargaining laws were made by consent, he tells HR Daily, therefore "the Commission didn't have to really grapple with difficult issues" and those decisions didn't shed much light on how the Fair Work Act provisions work...