Enterprise Bargaining in the New Era

Ticket sales close 10 March 2026 to allow time for training materials to be mailed to attendees.

Course Overview

This program is led by Nigel Ward, CEO of ABLA, widely regarded as one of Australia’s most experienced enterprise bargaining practitioners. With more than three decades of hands‑on experience, Nigel brings current, real‑world examples from major bargaining projects he manages every week.

The course is highly interactive, encouraging open discussion and practical application. Participants are able to raise specific issues, ask questions and explore strategies relevant to their organisation.

Every participant will also receive a private follow‑up session with Nigel, offering personalised guidance on their own bargaining projects.

Enterprise bargaining in Australia has changed significantly following the Closing Loopholes legislation, and understanding the new system is now essential for every business, unionised or not.

Our Enterprise Bargaining Master Program, delivered by ABLA CEO Nigel Ward, gives you the practical skills, strategy and insights you cannot get from textbooks.

With more than 35 years of frontline bargaining experience, Nigel brings real‑world expertise from major negotiations happening right now across the country. This course gives you the knowledge, tools and confidence to navigate bargaining in 2026 and beyond.

Why Attend this Enterprise Bargaining Course?

You should attend if:

• You need to stay up-to-date on bargaining changes following the Closing Loopholes reforms.
• You want clarity on how multi‑employer bargaining works and how it is being implemented.
• You want to understand how workplace culture and union dynamics impact bargaining outcomes.
• You’re looking to embed bargaining within a broader employee relations (ER) strategy rather than treat it as a one‑off event.
• You need to plan more effectively for upcoming negotiations.
• You want to improve how you bargain, covering narrative creation, communication, at‑the‑table strategy, voting processes and more.

Key learning outcomes:

• Understand today's bargaining environment.
• Learn how bargaining and workplace culture are related and impact each other.
• Discover the difference between direct employee bargaining and union bargaining.
• Understand the risks to your business and how to minimise impact.
• Learn from the experts involved in the ground-breaking first multi-employer bargaining matter.

Learn from a bargaining expert. Join this essential training session and gain the skills to prepare, negotiate and implement in the reformed enterprise bargaining landscape.

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Schedule each day

9:15 am - Registration opens
9:30 am - Training commences
1:00 pm - Training concludes
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This course is open to all organisations excluding legal service providers, consultants or unions specialising in enterprise bargaining deemed as competitors.
 

FAQs

Who is this course suited for?

• businesses that are unionised and those who are not
• if you are thinking about bargaining for the first time
• if you are an “old-hand” and want to challenge your thinking. 

What's the price?

Cost per person is $1195.00 inc GST. Group discounts for three or more are available. For more information contact Fiona Kenny on 0427 925 113 or fiona.kenny@ablawyers.com.au.

What's included in the price?

All training course material will be posted to attendees prior to the course start date. No soft copies are available.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Contact Fiona Kenny on 0427 925 113 or fiona.kenny@ablawyers.com.au.

What's the refund policy?

Participants will receive a full refund if they cancel at least seven (7) business days prior to the scheduled event. However, if participants cancel less than seven (7) business days before the event, no refund will be made. The place can be transferred to another member of the paid organisation. No-shows or cancellations after 7 days will receive the course training material and supporting documents. If there are insufficient participants, we reserve the right to cancel the event and participants will be transferred to another module of equal value or receive a full refund at their election. We will give three business days’ notice of any such cancellation.

Privacy policy

To understand how we protect your privacy, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

This session is conducted subject to everyone agreeing to the Chatham House Rules which means that participants can use the information in practice in their business but should not identify any organisation, individual or information that can be used to identify them.