At Orora's fibre packaging plant in Melbourne there's a new era of industrial cooperation.
It's been achieved with the help of the Fair Work Commission, through its 'New Approaches'
workplace relations program.
The new approach is about cooperative and productive workplaces and our role as a Commission
in facilitating that objective.
New approaches is really about us being a guide and a mentor but not actually 'doing
for' the parties, so facilitating the parties doing it for themselves. And doing it in a
way that develops the capacity of the parties to move forward without the continual reference
back to the Commission.
Vice President Catanzariti oversees the New Approaches program, including how parties
become involved.
There's ability to do it in this sense that matters come before us by way of an industrial
dispute or by way of a bargaining issue. We could suggest it to the parties, in certain
circumstances.
Industrial disputes involving Orora were once common in the Fair Work Commission. But under
the new approaches program there have been no formal industrial disputes for over two
years.
Obviously the Commission's played an integral role in this. But it's been on a quiet basis
on the side.
The vast majority of the work has really been done on a consultative basis around supporting
both the AMWU and Orora in how do we make sure that we both stay committed to this journey.
I'm absolutely convinced that a lot of Australian manufacturing jobs and a successful business
have been saved and improved as a result of the process.
New approaches is also at work here, in this supported living home operated by the not-for-profit
organisation, House with No Steps.
It was adopted by the workforce and management after an industrial dispute that was very
hard fought in the Fair Work Commission.
Once the dispute was resolved though I approached the parties and said 'now, that was pretty
ugly wasn't it? Yes.
Would you like to talk about relating to one another in a different way? Are you interested
in having a look at that?
And also Deputy President Booth of the Commission recommended that we pursue an interests-based,
more collaborative approach to reconciling our differences rather than the traditional
position-based adversarial approach. And we said 'yes - we'd love to do that'.
These relationships require a lot of work and commitment to establish and maintain.
The Commission plays an important ongoing role in this.
The aim is to improve workplace relationships and trust, to help resolve issues before they
escalate into disputes.
It's a more informal approach in one sense and also there's more energy and resources
put at the front end rather than at the back end.
It has taken many hours of the Fair Work Commission, it has, to attend and facilitate discussions
at a regional and local level and its those discussions that are the most important in
ensuring that we have engagement at a local level.
Local engagement has led to local dispute resolution. There have been no formal Commission
hearings involving House with No Steps since the new approaches program was adopted.
What we're trying to do is to get the parties to identify what are their underlying issues
and what are their underlying interests and then we try to workshop with the parties how
they might build a better relationship and how they might further common interests.
Not all parties will be suitable. It will require a change of thinking by both the employers
and by the employee unions involved and then they'll have to be prepared to work in a different
way with us.
In the new approaches we would like to become involved, where the parties want us to, with
their approach to dispute resolution in the workplace, in the way in which they relate
to one another, in enterprise bargaining and the way that they plan for bargaining.
Parties should feel free to approach any Member of the Commission or their associate and make
enquiries about New Approaches and then that Commissioner Member or the associate can then work out the appropriate
way to take the matter forward.
A fundamental issue for us is it's got to be owned by the parties - it's got to be a
voluntary and cooperative process. We're having a particular focus on education, training
and information. We've been developing information materials and training materials about new
approaches.
If you step back, give people a bit of an idea, a bit of an opportunity, then they
will create the future for themselves in a positive way.