Application by National Tertiary Education Industry Union (283V)
Citation: [2026] FWC 2694
What happened
The Applicant applied for a protected action ballot order under section 437 of the Fair Work Act 2009. The application related to employees of the University of Queensland and UQ College Limited. The Applicant stated they had been genuinely trying to reach an agreement with the Respondent through bargaining. The University of Queensland did not object to the application.
What was decided
The Commission granted the NTEU’s application for a protected action ballot order. True Vote Pty Ltd, an approved ballot agent, will conduct the ballot. Voting must close by 3 August 2026, which is eleven working days from the date of the Order. A compulsory conciliation conference will be scheduled to facilitate negotiations between the Applicant and the University of Queensland.
What it means for employers
Employers should ensure they engage in genuine bargaining with unions when negotiating enterprise agreements. Failure to do so could lead to union applications for protected action ballots, disrupting workplace operations and potentially impacting employee relations.
What it means for employees
Employees may have opportunities to participate in industrial action through a protected ballot if negotiations between their union and employer reach an impasse. This allows employees to collectively bargain for improved terms and conditions of employment.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwc2694.pdfWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. Full-corpus advisor access is a paid product — Business Solo from $99/mo, 50% off your first 3 months for the first 100 signups.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections →