A Workplace Agreement (Australian AWA) is an individual written agreement of terms and conditions of employment between an employer and employee and or employees. Except for Occupational Health and safety, Workers’ Compensation or training arrangements an Workplace Agreement can override employment conditions in state or territory laws, but an Australian Workplace Agreement must meet the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard.
Australian Workplace Agreements which fail the test may still be registered if it is in the public interest to do so. A workplace may be covered by an existing enterprise agreement specifying conditions above the award, which may mean that the Workplace Agreement is a reduction in standard workplace conditions.
On March 27th 2006 new arrangements for a workplace agreements came into effect which meant that different work place agreement procedures had to followed.
When the Liberal Federal Government, lead by John Howard announced the new reforms dealing with new Workplace Agreements and work conditions, Unions slammed the introduction of a system, claiming that thousands of unskilled and skilled workers Australia wide...