{"id":64546,"date":"2025-08-01T09:58:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T23:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/?p=64546"},"modified":"2025-08-29T10:43:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T00:43:57","slug":"do-you-think-youre-being-paid-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/blog\/do-you-think-youre-being-paid-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"DO YOU THINK YOU&#8217;RE BEING PAID ENOUGH?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"64546\" class=\"elementor elementor-64546\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a12edcd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a12edcd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dad3ebd sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dad3ebd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Did you know you can have a say in what your pay and conditions are?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e268b43 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e268b43\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aff7495 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"aff7495\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-64886\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560.png 840w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560-370x247.png 370w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560-770x513.png 770w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blog-aug-ebas-placeholder-img840x560-600x400.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-577fb88 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"577fb88\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c54defe sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c54defe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>You\u2019ve been chatting to your co-workers, and you all want change. Do you think your wages are too low for the work you do? Maybe you\u2019re not getting enough breaks, need more leave to care for family, or you&#8217;ve got a great idea about a better rostering arrangement.<\/p><p>Whatever you think needs to be better, there is a way for you \u2013 as a worker \u2013 to negotiate better pay and conditions with your employer. Sounds a bit scary? It might be if you were on your own, but when you get together with your co-workers, A LOT can change.<\/p><p>In the union world, we call this enterprise bargaining. An enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) can get you higher pay than the minimum standard set in the award.<\/p><p>Don\u2019t know what an award is? Read on or<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/articles\/video-enterprise-bargaining-101\/\">watch our video<\/a> <\/strong>to learn what awards and agreements are, and how you can be involved in making your workplace better.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d369461 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d369461\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7614b07 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7614b07\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>So, how are pay rates decided?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h4><p>The short answer is lots of people are involved in setting pay rates and conditions for workers \u2013 even YOU can be involved.\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Awards<\/b> and <b>agreements<\/b> are the two main ways your pay rate and working conditions are decided. First, let\u2019s look at some rules around pay rates. There are 3 things to consider:\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-38f9ec0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"38f9ec0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-127845c sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"127845c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5>1. Your pay rate must not \u2013 by law \u2013 be lower than Australia\u2019s minimum wage\u00a0<\/h5><p>The minimum wage for a full-time worker in Australia is $948 as of 1 July, 2025. This is the very base rate that any full or part-time worker can be paid. The only exceptions to this are junior rates, apprenticeships and traineeships. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) reviews and sets the minimum wage each year. <a href=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/all-updates\/uwu-asks-for-4-5-per-cent-increase-to-minimum-and-award-wages\/\">You can learn more about the minimum wage review in our blog<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81eede7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"81eede7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-908aef3 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"908aef3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5>\u00a02. Most industries have minimum pay standards \u2013 known as awards\u00a0<\/h5><p>The FWC also sets minimum standards for 122 industries and occupations in Australia. These minimum standards are called awards, (or \u2018modern\u2019 awards). <strong>About 54% of UWU members are on award wages.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p><p>Minimum standards in awards relate to (i) pay rates for different skill levels and responsibilities and (ii) workplace conditions such as shift breaks, penalty rates, types of leave, leave loading etc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>The Fair Work Commission reviews award wages each year along with the minimum wage. You can <strong>look up the award<\/strong> for your industry and occupation on the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairwork.gov.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Fair Work website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-01aa18d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"01aa18d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-58b5c1a sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"58b5c1a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>EXAMPLE: The award rate for a Level 2 Cleaner is $26.70 p\/hr, or $1014.70 p\/wk (full-time)<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2b58b93 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2b58b93\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3263ecb sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3263ecb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5>3. If you\u2019re not on an award, you\u2019re most likely on an enterprise agreement<\/h5>\n<p>An enterprise agreement (EA) is a legally binding document between an employer and employees tailored to the specific conditions at your workplace. If your pay is set by an agreement, it means your co-workers created an opportunity to negotiate with your employer for pay and conditions that are more relevant to your specific workplace.<\/p>\n<p>An agreement must commit to higher pay and better conditions than an award, known as the <strong>BOOT<\/strong> (Better Off Overall Test). An agreement lasts about 3-4 years before being renegotiated. This negotiation is known as enterprise bargaining, or collective bargaining. <strong>About 46% of our members are on an enterprise agreement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can <b>search your enterprise agreement<\/b> on the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fwc.gov.au\/work-conditions\/enterprise-agreements\/find-enterprise-agreement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fair Work Commission<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;website.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7fde9e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d7fde9e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-694311e sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"694311e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>EXAMPLE: A Level 2 Cleaner on this example agreement* rises each year to as much as $29.92 p\/hr, or $1136.96 p\/wk (full-time).<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f957b9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8f957b9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a7e8ec6 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a7e8ec6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As you can see, in the above examples, a Level 2 Cleaner can earn <b>more than $120 extra per week<\/b> on an agreement, when compared to the award.<\/p><p><em>*Example from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fwc.gov.au\/document-search\/view\/3\/aHR0cHM6Ly9zYXNyY2RhdGFwcmRhdWVhYS5ibG9iLmNvcmUud2luZG93cy5uZXQvZW50ZXJwcmlzZWFncmVlbWVudHMvMjAyNS83L2FlNTI5NzQwLnBkZg2?sid=&amp;q=cleaners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Emmy Monash Aged Care Enterprise Agreement 2024-2027<\/a>\u00a0: Pay rates as at 1 August 2025<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2b26af0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2b26af0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb28691 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"eb28691\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d38d62 e-grid e-con-full e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5d38d62\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9bed142 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9bed142\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"338\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/and-bradley.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-65721\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/and-bradley.png 338w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/and-bradley-211x300.png 211w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f817ba sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f817ba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><i style=\"font-weight: normal;\">&#8221; The minimum wage increase is a very exciting time, because our EBA makes sure we get a 3% increase over the minimum wage and that\u2019s going to become 6.5% come June 2026.&#8221;<\/i><\/h5><p><em>And Bradley, cleaner and UWU delegate<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c3559e sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3c3559e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>How do I work out if I\u2019m on award or an agreement?<\/h4><p>If you\u2019re at a workplace with an agreement, it\u2019s VERY important that you have a copy. You will usually be given a copy at your induction when you start your employment. Your payslip may also give you a clue about how your pay rate is set. You can also search your <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairwork.gov.au\/employment-conditions\/awards\/list-of-awards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">award<\/a><\/strong> or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fwc.gov.au\/work-conditions\/enterprise-agreements\/find-enterprise-agreement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">agreement<\/a><\/strong> online. <strong>But usually, the best way is to ask a co-worker, UWU member or your delegate.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4865b60 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4865b60\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75b7fdf sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"75b7fdf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><script charset=\"utf-8\" type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/js.hsforms.net\/forms\/embed\/v2.js\"><\/script>\n<script>\n  hbspt.forms.create({\n    portalId: \"8094439\",\n    formId: \"bfecf172-9d0b-4b90-9c32-5996d2a41b84\",\n    region: \"na1\"\n  });\n<\/script><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0feeee e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f0feeee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bc44239 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bc44239\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>What if I\u2019m casual?<\/h4><p>Casual staff are included in awards and agreements. You can <b>check your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairwork.gov.au\/employment-conditions\/awards\/list-of-awards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">award<\/a><\/b>\u00a0<b>or\u00a0<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fwc.gov.au\/work-conditions\/enterprise-agreements\/find-enterprise-agreement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><b>agreement<\/b><\/a>\u00a0to see how much loading is included in the casual pay rate, but it\u2019s commonly 25% extra pay but with fewer leave entitlements. <strong>Many agreements include rules about making casual staff permanent after a certain length of continuous employment.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3313901 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3313901\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b0c867 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6b0c867\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Awards and agreements cover similar conditions, so which is better?<\/h4><p>Awards cover a range of conditions, including:<\/p><ul><li>Minimum pay rates<\/li><li>Hours of work<\/li><li>Overtime and penalty rates<\/li><li>Leave entitlements (annual, personal, sick)<\/li><li>Breaks<\/li><li>Allowances<\/li><\/ul><p>Awards set minimum standards for an occupation, so they provide a good starting point for the types of demands you might ask for in an agreement, such as higher-than-award wages and better workplace-specific conditions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-04f35e2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"04f35e2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d538f9f sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d538f9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0<\/p><h4>Agreements create better working conditions for ALL workers<\/h4><p>A great thing about winning conditions that are \u2018outside the box\u2019 is that eventually, it catches on. Other workplaces campaign for the same conditions, and eventually, just through people power, it makes it into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairwork.gov.au\/employment-conditions\/national-employment-standards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">National Employment Standards<\/a>. A great example of this is Parental Leave, Domestic Violence Leave, and better protections for casual workers.<\/p><h4>Why do workers strike for better pay and conditions?<\/h4><p>The only time you will ever see a strike or stop-work action is during an EA negotiation \u2013 it can happen when employers and employees cannot come to an agreement, and it shows how collective power can really work.<\/p><h4>I want to get an agreement at my workplace<\/h4><p>Although, agreements mostly cover large workplaces, it\u2019s possible to negotiate for an EA in smaller workplaces too.<\/p><p>A Workwear Group site in Melbourne, with a total of 68 employees, had only 8 that were UWU members. Our members decided to start negotiating for an enterprise agreement and before long, they had grown to 56 members as more workers got involved to imagine and create a better workplace.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f5f111e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f5f111e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6418389 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6418389\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-64878\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear.jpg 940w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear-370x277.jpg 370w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/august-blog-workwear-600x449.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8cdc1be e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8cdc1be\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43e3d82 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"43e3d82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Not only did they win some real change on wage rises for the next 3 years \u2013and a bunch of better conditions from their log of claims \u2013 they also won a national agreement that covers a site in West Australia that had no UWU members at the time!<\/p><h4>Start bargaining!<\/h4><p>If you\u2019d like to negotiate an agreement at your workplace, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairwork.gov.au\/employment-conditions\/agreements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">you can make your employer start bargaining<\/a>. When you&#8217;ve got at least half of your co-workers on board, <a href=\"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/contact\/\">contact United Workers Union<\/a> for advice. Get as many co-workers to<a href=\"https:\/\/mlink.unitedworkers.org.au\/join.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"> join UWU<\/a>\u00a0as you can.<\/p><p><b>You don\u2019t have to wait until your next EBA negotiation to start thinking about what you would like to see happen to make your workplace a better place for those it affects the most \u2013 the workers.<\/b><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-656b457 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"656b457\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8c41d5d sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8c41d5d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Sign up to our mail list for more articles like this one:<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ede161 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ede161\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5547a3a sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"5547a3a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><script charset=\"utf-8\" type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/js.hsforms.net\/forms\/embed\/v2.js\"><\/script> \n\n<script> \n\n  hbspt.forms.create({ \n\n    portalId: \"8094439\", \n\n    formId: \"44f962f4-fa43-4517-9edd-abc5fff24ad3\", \n\n    region: \"na1\" \n\n  }); \n\n<\/script> <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can have a say in what your pay and conditions are. It&#8217;s called enterprise bargaining. Find out how to make a start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":66182,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[187,60],"tags":[193],"class_list":["post-64546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-blog","tag-enterprise-bargaining"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64546"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67797,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64546\/revisions\/67797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}