Collective Bargaining Policy
The Australian Newsagents’ Federation is committed to the representation of its member’s interests by engaging with the newsagent industry’s major newspaper and magazine publisher/distributors in a manner that is both lawful and consistent with the ANF’s current collective bargaining authorisations.
Previous Authorisation A90804
ANF authorisation A90804 came into effect on 20 May 2004 for five years and expired on 20 May 2009. The authorisation application was lodged jointly by the ANF and Queensland Newsagents’ Federation on behalf of themselves and:
• Western Australian Accredited Newsagents’ Association,
• Newsagents’ Association of NSW and ACT,
• Newsagents’ Association of South Australia,
• Tasmanian Newsagents Association Ltd, and
• Victorian Authorisation Newsagent Association Ltd.
The Commission granted authorisation to the above parties to collectively negotiate on behalf of their members subject to five Conditions.
Importantly, the authorisation was granted on the basis there would be no collective boycott activity, where Condition C2 allowed the target publisher/distributors to participate on a voluntary basis, and Condition C3 restricted the applications to collective bargaining groups from being formed “at no larger than state level”.
For a detailed copy of the authorisation A90804 final determination please click here.
Current Authorisations A91134 and A91174
Following the expiry of A90804, on 16 July 2009 the ANF was granted another authorisation under A91134 to collectively bargain only on behalf of its members with major newspaper and magazine publisher/distributors for a further five years.
Authorisation A91134 similarly to A90804 restricted the ANF to forming bargaining groups greater than state level when negotiating with newspaper publishers. However, where magazine publishers and distributors are concerned, A91134 permits the ANF members to “establish a national collective bargaining group“ in relation to issues which cannot be effective addressed at a lower level.
A number of the Conditions of A91134 are similar to those of A90804.
Authorisation A91174 is substantially similar to A91134, however its purpose was to grant immunity to ANF members and staff involved in collective bargaining from the new criminal penalties introduced through the Trade Practices Amendment (Cartel Conduct and Other Measures) Bill 2009 which came into effect after A91134 was granted.