Woolworths: Enterprise Agreements, Unions, and Employee Relations

This report provides an in-depth analysis of enterprise agreements within Woolworths, a prominent supermarket chain. It elucidates the significance of these agreements, detailing the current processes employed to foster successful deals with employees. The report also explores historical instances that have adversely affected employer-employee relationships within Woolworths due to unfavorable agreements. Furthermore, it presents strategic recommendations aimed at enhancing future agreements, ultimately leading to heightened productivity and organizational success. These recommendations encompass improved communication channels, the adoption of strategic approaches, and the establishment of fair negotiation processes, ensuring that employee contributions are recognized and rewarded appropriately. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical role of well-crafted employee agreements in achieving effective outcomes for organizations, highlighting the importance of considering employee feedback and maintaining workplace harmony.

Individual report

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
Explaining the enterprise agreement ( EA ) and what is relevant EA for this organization........4
Process of enterprise making agreements in Australia................................................................4
Explaining the relevant union for wools worth............................................................................5
Discussing the relevant history that could affect the relationship of employers and employees 5
Recommendations........................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Enterprise agreement is collective industrial agreements that would help the employers
and employees to wok in the best manner in long run. Furthermore, the present report is based on
wools-worth that is famous supermarket chain that supply variety of goods across various
regions. Also, the study will highlight the importance of enterprise agreements and current
process that is used within the firm to make successful deals with employees in the future.
Moreover, the report will discuss relevant history where there was the adverse impact on
relationship of employers and employees of wools-worth due to bad agreements. Also, the study
will provide certain recommendations that might be applied by the business so that such kind of
agreements within the future would help in resulting in higher productivity and output that is
needed for making the organization successful.
MAIN BODY
Explaining the enterprise agreement ( EA ) and what is relevant EA for this organization
These are the types of agreements that are made at enterprise level between the
employers, employees and their unions relating to the certain terms and conditions of the
employment. Furthermore, such type of enterprise agreements could be made either on Single-
Enterprise, Multi-Enterprise, Green fields agreements much more. Also, this agreement is useful
for the company like wools-worth in Australia as the new agreement in 2020 stated that company
would be doing great on various grounds across different regions that is not only limited to their
wages but also in context of working conditions that is company is providing to its employees
across all levels (Markey and McIvor, 2019). Furthermore, new EA is very much significant for
the company and its employees as the fair work commission would ensure higher wages and pay
scale to all the employees that are working for the firm in the most efficient manner.
Process of enterprise making agreements in Australia
There are certain steps that are required for making the agreements that are discussed as
follows:
 Notice of the employees rights where the separate documents is been prepared by the
firm regrading the agreement where employees right are clearly mentioned.
 Good faith bargaining is the next step where the government assures that all the
agreements are conducted in fair and proper manner and should avoid any kind of the
unnecessary disputes.

 Next is the voting process where all the employees for its approval after the government.
 Last stage is approval of enterprise agreement by the fair wok commission's that would
finally make the agreement (Luo and Yang, 2020)
Thus, the wools-worth has been successful in adopting this procedure for the long term now.
Explaining the relevant union for wools worth
The new agreements that is been passed within the firm is the best for all the employees
that are ready to do voluntary work on public holidays and 15 minutes break. Also, this would
result in the fantastic outcome on the large level. Moreover, company has the signed an alliance
with union where it would ensure that right and safety of employees is maintained properly.
Furthermore, the new unions that is been formed will work together with wools-worth so that
proper worker education and best industry engagement programmes might be developed that is
good for overall organizational development in the future. Moreover, current Retail Supply
Chain Alliance that company is having is partnership between various Transport Workers’ Union
(TWU), Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) and Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees
Association (SDA) (Wools worth signs agreement with union partnership, 2022).
Thus, it can be said that having the best union within the firm will help in complying with
the latest rules and regulations and will also assure that right things are carried out at right time.
Moreover, the right of all employees would be protected on various grounds that is very much-
needed for assuring continuous growth and success in the coming years.
Discussing the relevant history that could affect the relationship of employers and employees
Wools-worth has been capable to operate across various regions because of the hard and
dedicated workforce that is capable of solving various challenging situations. However, in
certain reports it was found that this supermarket chain was affected adversely due to constant
strikes among the employees. Also, another major issues that has affected the relationship among
the employers and employees was discrimination to workers on the basis of the age, gender,
cultural differences and much more (McCrystal, 2018). Thus, such kind of the situation badly
affects the employees productivity and working of the employees in long run. Furthermore,
another problem that was based on past history of the firm was improper job design where
problems of coordination and collaborative approach was seen among the employees thus
creating more conflicts at the workplace. Thus, such kind of reports only affects the brand image

of the wools-worth and further it is not good when the company is planning to expand to newer
regions.
Recommendations
For the above company there are set of the various suggestions that would help the
wools-worth in successfully executing the enterprise agreements for long run.
 Firstly the employers would be prepared through establishing proper communications
channels so that all the employees are aware of the changes that are going to be
implemented within the workplace (McCrystal and Bray, 2019). Also, through this type
of preparation the firm would be able to resolve the issues within the workplace through
asking suggestions. Thus, this way better agreement would be drafted for all the
employees at the workplace. Moreover, employers would be prepared for the enterprise
agreements through having open feedback channels so that best policies might be
designed for overall work of the firm.
 Secondly, it is been recommended to wools-worth that it could adopt various strategic
approaches that would help to achieve business goals in the most efficient manner.
Furthermore, the list of strategic approaches that might be used by the firm is classic
strategy that would help to achieve the sustainable advantage, adaptive strategy would
help in providing temporary advantage, visionary strategy would help in creating industry
with some level of predictability and lastly the shaping strategy that would allow in
reshaping the industry (Macneil, Bray and Spiess, 2020). Thus, the one that would be best
suited for company like wools-worth would be classic strategy that would help the
business to sell differentiated products and ensure superior capabilities' so that large
market are might be covered in the most efficient manner. Also, through using such type
of approach it would ensure that employees remain motivated and in well manner without
creating many conflicts at the workplace.
 Thirdly, it is been suggested that this process might be used in the enterprise building
through assuring the workers that if they help company to maintain the competitive
advantage in various regions through maintaining their efficiency levels than in returns
employees would be provided the best rewards for the work done in form of higher
salaries and wages. Thus, such type of negotiation always results in the best quality
outputs and better results in long run. Furthermore, it would be successful as the process

would ensure the best working conditions that is essential for any business to become
successful. Moreover, this process would also increase reliability among the employees
that they are been recognized by the firm and also all their hard work done would be
rewarded on timely basis through using the best performance management techniques.
 Fourthly, it is seen suggested to the firm that if in such kind of process if the parties does
not agree on the document that is been designed for them than wools-worth should be
ready to hear the problems out and make the necessary changes or modification in the
document drafted so that harmony at the workplace could be maintained (Sheldon and
Thornthwaite, 2020). Furthermore, it is responsibility of the firm to organize the panel
meetings where both employers and employees could reach to the common decisions that
is accepted by all. Moreover, the company team members should have good influencing
power so that best results are derived in the end.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that it is very important for every organization
to draft the best employee agreements so that effective results are achieved in the end.
Furthermore, the report had described in detail about the relevance of the employee agreement
and in connection with the wools-worth company that had recently entered into such kind of
agreements. Moreover, the report had described about the process through which such
agreements are formed within the firm so that more clear understanding might be gained out of
it. Also, the study had discussed the relevant unions that had supported such type of initiatives
for the firm so that much ease might be provided. Furthermore, the study had suggested the
company about various strategic approaches that would help the firm to carry out the working in
much easier manner. Lastly, the report had recommended how the enterprise bargaining process
might be applied within the workplace in the future running of the business.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Luo, S. and Yang, T., 2020. Moderated mobilization: a new model of enterprise-level collective
bargaining in South China. The China Quarterly. 242. pp.418-439.
Macneil, J., Bray, M. and Spiess, L., 2020. Unions and collective bargaining in Australia in
2019. Journal of Industrial Relations. 62(3). pp.380-402.
Markey, R. and McIvor, J., 2019. Environmental bargaining in Australia. Journal of Industrial
Relations. 61(1). pp.79-104.
McCrystal, S. and Bray, M., 2019. Non-union agreement-making in Australia in comparative and
historical context. Comp. Lab. L. & Pol'y J. 41. p.753.
McCrystal, S., 2018. Termination of Enterprise Agreements under the'Fair Work Act 2009'(Cth)
and Final Offer Arbitration. Australian Journal of Labour Law. 31(2). pp.131-156.
Sheldon, P. and Thornthwaite, L., 2020. Employer and employer association matters in Australia
in 2019. Journal of Industrial Relations. 62(3). pp.403-424.
Online
Wools worth signs agreement with union partnership . 2022. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.orchardtech.com.au/woolsworth-signs-agreement-with-union-partnership/>