What is Secure Jobs, Better Pay?
The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs Better Pay) Act 2022 aims to improve various aspects of Australian labour law. The Act amends workplace relations laws relating to bargaining, job security, gender equality, compliance and enforcement, workplace conditions and protections, and workplace relations institutions. The Secure Jobs Better Pay amendments were implemented in stages from December 7, 2022 to December 6, 2023.
Key Changes:
- This Act addresses wage stagnation and seeks to close the gender pay gap by promoting fair remuneration for workers.
- It emphasises gender equality and job security, ensuring that workers have stable employment conditions.
- The Act strengthens protections for workers through several measures including:
- prohibiting employers from imposing pay secrecy, allowing workers to discuss their wages openly;
- reinforcing protections against discrimination and encourages special measures to promote equality;
- addressing the termination of enterprise agreements after their nominal expiry date;
- dealing with outdated or ineffective agreements (eg., sunsetting of “Zombie” Agreements);
- allowing workers to request flexible work arrangements and unpaid parental leave; and prohibiting sexual harassment in connection with work.
- The act enables employers with common interests to more easily bargain together while strengthening the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) to ensure workers are not worse off under new agreements.
- The Act includes a requirement for communications related to workplace matters being made available in multiple languages.
- The Act also absorbs the functions of the Registered Organisations Commission, allowing Expert Panels to play a role in addressing workplace issues.
To help you navigate your obligations we have free, plain English toolkits you can access here. For more detailed information, you can refer to the official resources provided by the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman here.
