Inquiry Recommendations

The Inquiry has identified 12 recommendations in total. The first 7 recommendations taken together would constitute a Fair Work Agreement for hospitality. A Fair Work Agreement is an agreement between employers, employer bodies and unions to work together to advance fair work in an industry. To have meaningful impact, a Fair Work Agreement requires buy-in from employers, employer bodies, unions and ultimately workers across the industry in question. Fair Work Agreements also need to be effectively supported by Government to facilitate progress and to provide additional resource and capacity within the industry.

While businesses face a range of challenges and pressures which may limit how readily they can apply measures (particularly those that have an immediate cost impact) fair work is based on a philosophy of joint working and positive relationships between workers, employers and unions which means that many key elements of fair work can be applied without significant cost to the business. Despite this, some funding from Government to support fair work training, and to build structures across the industry will be necessary, and employers will need to recognise the value of fair work and invest in fair work business models. The recommendations, available in the full report, reflect this.

To deliver fair work, employers across the industry need to build on what they are already doing well and identify areas for improvement. A key way to achieve this is to learn from the good practice of other businesses in the sector, and to strengthen effective voice in your workplace. Ultimately, focussing on continuous improvement will support strong and resilient businesses for the future.