Public Sector Industrial Relations Principles

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Application

This Policy applies to all departments and public sector bodies of the State of Victoria and their non-executive level employees, as defined under the Public Administration Act 2004 (Vic) (PA Act) and other Victorian legislation.

Overview

Victoria’s public sector provides services that are essential to the functioning of the Victorian community. As one of the State’s largest employers, the Victorian Government (the Government) expects public sector employers to set the example for all Victorian workplaces in their approach to industrial issues.

The Government expects that public sector employers are, at all times, model employers. The Government is committed to public sector industrial relations based on consultation, cooperation and good faith bargaining, underpinned by a safety net of fair employment conditions. The Government, as a model employer, is committed to ensuring that public sector enterprise agreements are negotiated respectfully, in good faith, and conducted in a timely manner.

This policy details the key principles that guide all public sector employers in their approach to managing enterprise bargaining and other industrial issues in the workplace.

Victorian Public Sector Industrial Relations Principles

As a model employer, the key principles underpinning the Victorian Government’s approach to industrial relations are:

  • promoting industrial relations based on consultation and cooperation between employers, employees and their unions
  • promoting Victorian Public Service and public sector agencies as model employers
  • supporting employee’s choice to join a union and be represented in the workplace
  • working constructively with bargaining representatives to avoid unnecessary disputation
  • promoting collective bargaining in good faith with employees and their bargaining representatives
  • setting wages and conditions that are fiscally sustainable and deliver improvements that are measurable and promote the highest quality services
  • honouring all terms of collectively bargained enterprise agreements and not using overly technical constitutional arguments to avoid agreed obligations
  • providing fair and comprehensive employment conditions in enterprise agreements
  • supporting policies and working conditions that promote ongoing, secure employment, by giving preference to ongoing forms of employment over casual and fixed term arrangements wherever possible, including limiting casual and labour hire employment
  • support flexible working arrangements that allow employees to balance work and life
  • supporting fair, cooperative and safe workplaces that are free from discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment, and bullying
  • ensuring public sector employees and employers can resolve disputes in a cooperative and prompt manner, with the assistance of the Fair Work Commission where agreed
  • ensuring that public sector employees are paid correctly and promptly in accordance with the industrial instruments
  • supporting policies that promote gender equity in the workplace and employment opportunities for women; and
  • supporting employment opportunities for underrepresented groups.

While individual departments and agencies have flexibility to decide the specific content of enterprise agreements, it is their responsibility to ensure these key principles underpin their industrial relations strategies and actions. Individual departments and agencies must ensure they are familiar with these principles and the Public Sector Industrial Relations Policies as a whole.

Further Information

For further information and advice employees and public sector union representatives should contact the local Human Resources or People and Culture Unit (or equivalent) of the relevant entity for further assistance in the first instance.

Human Resource or People and Culture Representatives of Public Sector Entities (or equivalent) should contact their Portfolio Department for further assistance in the first instance.

Human Resource or People and Culture Representatives of Portfolio Departments should contact their usual Industrial Relations Victoria portfolio contact for further assistance in the first instance.

  • Role of Departments, Portfolio Entities and Central Agencies
  • Role of Public Sector Unions
  • Enterprise Bargaining and Agreement Making
  • Consultation and Cooperation in the Workplace

Updated

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