A non-union agreement is one that the employer produces unilaterally, without negotiating with the Union at all, or after pulling out of negotiations that had already started. The employer puts the Agreement to a direct vote of all staff, without endorsement of NTEU members.

The employer is legally allowed to do this.

Non-union ballots are invariably weaker than those negotiated by unions. Management might dangle a ‘carrot’, such as a sign-on bonus, to encourage staff to vote for the Agreement, while reducing redundancy entitlements and job security measures.

If management proposes a non-union ballot, we have to defeat it quickly and decisively.