If you become involved in enterprise bargaining in order to make an enterprise agreement to cover your workplace, then the USU is here to assist you through this complex process. The USU strongly advises you to immediately contact your USU Organiser or USU on 1300 136 604 as soon as your employer starts talking to you about an enterprise agreement.

Did you know that:

  • wages in union enterprise agreements rose 4.2% while non-union agreements only rose 3%
  • median weekly earnings for employees who were trade union members was $1600 compared with $1349 for employees who were not union members – that’s $13,052 more a year for union members

In other words, the more members we have, the greater our bargaining power and influence, the better outcomes we can get for you.

If the staff you work with are not members, encourage them to join! It pays to belong to the USU.

There is a lot of information about enterprise bargaining and agreements online and you can check out the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website to find out current conditions and wage increases in enterprise agreements. For those of who work in Local Government you can also check out the website of Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.  

Other important information which is essential to know for you about wages and salaries in enterprise bargaining follows.

The current inflation rate (the CPI, the Consumer Price Index) shows you increases in the prices and costs of goods and services you purchase. This can be found at the website of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (the ABS). The inflation rate (CPI) reported by the ABS rose 3.8% in the 12 months to December 2025, up from a 3.4% rise in the 12 months to November 2025. The ABS also reports on different contributors to inflation, for example, increases in the cost of Food (3.4%), Housing (5.5%) and Rent (3.9%) which is highly relevant when you argue for increase in wages so you can pay those rising costs – the buying power of your wages – do your wages buy less things than they did before?

Another source of information is the Reserve Bank and its statements on Monetary Policy. The February 2026 Statement reported that the forecast for inflation is very uncertain. Maybe a built-in buffer in wages claims should be built into your wages claims.

The Department of the Employment and Workplace Relations publishes trends in Federal Bargaining (enterprise agreements) and reported that for September 2025 wage increases in enterprise agreements are running at an average of about 3.8%. If you can argue that on average, other workers are receiving 3.8% so why are you offering less than that. Different employers will be able to offer what they can in terms of their profits. It’s important to get an idea about your employers’ ability to pay increases in wages and provide more generous conditions.

Contact the USU (1300 136 604) as soon as your Union starts talking to you about the next enterprise agreement that covers your workplace so we can help you through this complex process to get the best you can at your workplace.