Small business collective bargaining guidelines consultation

Overview

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is seeking feedback on new guidelines for small business collective bargaining. The guidelines are for small businesses, including farmers, to assist their understanding of the authorisation and notification processes for obtaining ACCC approval for collective bargaining and boycotts.

Although we have information on collective bargaining in various guidelines, until now we have not had a single collective bargaining and boycott guideline that provides information on both the authorisation and notification processes.

The guidelines also reflect recent changes to the notification process which include safeguards to make it more likely that collective boycotts will be allowed, and changes to make the law more flexible for small business collective bargaining. We have included a section in the guidelines that outlines the factors that the ACCC will consider when assessing a collective boycott.

Please email your comments to adjudication@accc.gov.au by 23 February 2018. Alternatively, if you wish to provide your feedback by phone send us your contact details and we will arrange a convenient time to call you.