Single Interest Authorisation

Victorian Catholic education staff are covered by a Multi-Employer Agreement.

In early 2025 the IEU urged employers to apply for a Single Interest Authorisation to grant employees basic bargaining rights, prevent unnecessary delays and demonstrate good faith as we approach the negotiation of our next Agreement. Their refusal reflects a pattern of employer delays, which has historically undermined timely and fair outcomes for staff.

New federal laws permit the IEU to be granted an SIA after the current Agreement expires on 31 December – but employers could do so now!

A Single Interest Authorisation (SIA) is a legal mechanism that allows employees from multiple employers to bargain collectively as if they were employed by a single entity. This strengthens employees’ ability to negotiate for better pay and conditions.

The IEU is pushing for an SIA because it gives union members stronger rights under the Fair Work Act, including:

• The ability to seek Good Faith Bargaining Orders, ensuring employers negotiate genuinely.

• The ability to take protected industrial action, which provides leverage in negotiations.

Without an SIA, members are forced to bargain without these protections and powers, weakening their position.

Catholic employers are proposing to begin negotiations for a new Multi-Enterprise Agreement (MEA) without applying for an SIA. This would:

• Very significantly limit the bargaining rights and powers of IEU members.

• Delay the IEU's ability to be granted an SIA until after the current Agreement expires in December 2025.

• Undermine bargaining strength by forcing the IEU to work within a restricted framework.

Under the Fair Work Act, union members can take protected industrial action during enterprise bargaining if they meet requirements such as a secret ballot and providing notice. However, Section 413(2) prohibits protected industrial action when bargaining for a Multi-Enterprise Agreement (MEA) – unless employers negotiate as a Single Interest. This restriction impacts over 25,000 IEU members in Victorian Catholic schools currently seeking a new agreement.

Employers have refused to apply for a Single Interest Authorisation (SIA), which would allow full access to protected industrial action, Good Faith Bargaining Orders, and Fair Work Commission (FWC) assistance. Their refusal significantly limits staff bargaining power. This contrasts with Catholic employers in other Australian states, where Catholic employers negotiate as single interests. 

Without an SIA, union members lack essential industrial rights and bargaining protections. Employers can delay negotiations without consequence, while workers have no legal means to escalate. This power imbalance leads to slower, less effective bargaining, with employees at a clear disadvantage.

There are three possible bargaining paths:

• Employers agree to an SIA: This enables timely and fair negotiations with full industrial rights. Negotiations could commence in 2025, before the expiry of the current Agreement.

• ‘Cooperative’ bargaining without an SIA: Bargaining can commence this year, but we may be locked into this pathway, and if negotiations are not productive it could be late in 2026 before we can switch streams to Single Interest bargaining.

• IEU applies for an SIA after the current Agreement expires: If employers continue to refuse to apply for an SIA, the IEU can do so by proving that the majority of employees support this and making an application after the expiry of the current Agreement. This means we cannot commence formal negotiations this year, but can commence from the start of 2026 with the same rights and protections as other workers.

While it may sound positive, ‘cooperative’ bargaining strips employees of leverage. Past experience shows employers have used it to delay progress and avoid meaningful outcomes. The IEU believes that this model weakens the union's ability to advocate effectively for members and therefore rejects it.

If the refusal continues, the IEU will apply for an SIA itself. It can only be granted by the FWC after the current agreement expires in December 2025. This process requires proving majority support amongst employees in Victorian Catholic education.

Victorian Catholic employers appear to be prioritising control over fairness. Their refusal to adopt an SIA suggests a desire to maintain a system that disadvantages employees and slows progress. Unlike their counterparts interstate, they are not embracing collaborative or timely bargaining.

In other states, Catholic employers negotiate as a single interest, ensuring staff have access to protected action and FWC support. Victorian employers' refusal to do the same has placed their staff in a weakened and inequitable position.

Yes! Employers could apply for an SIA right now, allowing negotiations to commence this year with full rights and protections in place. This would avoid delays and enable a fair process.

While employers claim to support timely negotiations, their refusal to support an SIA contradicts that position. The IEU also wants a prompt resolution—but not at the cost of the fundamental rights of our members.

We need to achieve big wins in this round of negotiations. Salaries in other states have jumped significantly ahead of Victoria, and workload issues need urgent attention. Without access to protected action and Fair Work support, IEU members would be negotiating from a weakened position. These rights are essential to securing not just better pay and conditions, but also protections for job security and professional autonomy.

• Grow our collective strength: encourage your colleagues to join your union.

• Stay informed: Keep up to date via the IEU website and your sub-branch communications.

• Participate in consultations: Engage in sub-branch discussions to shape the Log of Claims.

• Encourage solidarity: Talk to colleagues about the importance of bargaining from a position of strength.