Topic : Agreeing to work

Chapter 1 : Awards and enterprise agreements

• Previous negotiations for setting pay and conditions of workers involved collective bargaining
• Workers and their unions had strong collective bargaining power under the system of Awards and Certified Agreements
• Awards outline the minimum pay and conditions of certain jobs, like teaching or nursing
• Enterprise Agreements and Certified Agreements outline the pay and conditions of one or a small number of workplaces and they are negotiated by an employer, a group of employees and their union
• Enterprise bargaining at the workplace level involved a new `decentralised` system of wage determination, where wage increases could be negotiated for increases in productivity

Chapter 2 : Workplace agreements and contracts

Chapter 3 : Minimum statutory entitlements

• Employees must receive a core minimum of five statutory entitlements as part of their employment agreements
• Extra conditions can be negotiated one-to-one with an employer
• Employees are entitled to minimum pay, hours and types of leave
• The Australian Industrial Relations Commission now has a strictly limited role in setting minimum wages and conditions
• Employers and employees can in theory 'bargain or trade away' leave for different options

Chapter 4 : Unemployment

• Unemployment exists in all societies; the unemployed are out of work and actively seeking work
• The personal costs of unemployment are related to financial and personal strain
• Long-term unemployment can lead to discrimination and poor development of job skills
• Families and taxpayers 'pay' the social costs of persistent unemployment; homelessness and crime are two serious related social costs
• Full unemployment can help reduce the long-term unemployment rate

Chapter 5 : Voluntary employment

• Voluntary employment is unpaid work
• Housework, parenting and community work are examples of unpaid labour or voluntary work
• People volunteer for personal satisfaction or skills development
• Many community and non-profit organisations use voluntary workers
• Many charities and organisations are developing essential Voluntary Employment Policies