Fair Work Commission

Cooperative Workplaces is a free program offered by the Fair Work Commission that helps parties build cooperative working relationships using interest-based approaches.

The program helps employers and employees:

• address immediate issues
• improve workplace processes in the long-term.

We provide guidance and advice to help you come up with plans to improve your workplace.

The program focuses on areas where interest-based approaches can be most helpful:

• bargaining
• consultation and
• problem-solving.

We use our expertise in workplace relations and interest-based approaches to help businesses and their employees:

• identify shared and conflicting interests
• resolve and prevent disputes
• avoid arbitration
• reach agreements, and
• support change.

We offer:

• Training in interest-based approaches
• Workshops in collaborative workplace change
• Facilitation of interest-based bargaining and dispute resolution

We will work with you to tailor a program that best meets your needs.

• The program does not take away or alter any legal rights of any of the parties
• Parties can withdraw from the program at any time
• The Commission will not make any decisions for you

The program is free.

Is the program right for our workplace?

Cooperative Workplaces is right for employers and employees that:

• are genuinely interested in moving away from an adversarial relationship
• want to build cooperative relationships
• are committed to being clear and open with each other throughout the process.

The main requirement is that everyone involved in the program is committed to it.

Interest-based approaches aren’t necessarily faster, and certainly not when you’re starting out. It takes time, resources and work to introduce interest-based approaches into a workplace. The Commission can help, but successful and long-lasting change is up to each individual workplace.

How to get started

1. If your workplace is interested in trying the Cooperative Workplaces program, or if you just want to find out more, email us at cooperativeworkplaces@fwc.gov.au.
2. We will run a 2–3 hour information session for your business or union to help you decide if it's right for you.
3. If your workplace agrees to try the program, you will need to complete and send us the Form F79 Cooperative Workplaces application. We will start the program once we have consent from the parties.
4. We then train you in interest-based approaches. The length of the training depends on your needs but is normally 1–2 days. You can ask for a particular Member to run the training if you have a preference, or we can choose one for you.
5. After the training, the Commission will facilitate the process and continue to provide support if you need us.