Application by "Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union" known as the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) (188V)
Citation: [2026] FWC 3327
What happened
The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) applied for a protected action ballot order under section 437 of the Fair Work Act 2009. This relates to employees of Note Printing Australia Limited (NPAL). Another union, the Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU), made a similar application. NPAL did not formally object to the application but raised concerns about the proposed industrial action and reserved its rights to object later. The AMWU stated it has been genuinely trying to reach an agreement with NPAL.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission granted the AMWU's application for a protected action ballot order. The ballot will be conducted by Vero Engagement & Voting Solutions Pty Ltd, an approved ballot agent. Voting must close by 15 September 2026. The Commission will also conduct a compulsory conciliation conference to facilitate negotiations. The Commission was satisfied that the requirements of section 443(1) of the Act were met.
What it means for employers
Employers should be aware of the process for protected action ballots when negotiating enterprise agreements. While NPAL did not formally object, it reserved the right to do so later, highlighting the importance of carefully considering proposed industrial action and raising concerns promptly.
What it means for employees
Employees should be aware of their union’s right to seek a protected action ballot order during enterprise bargaining. This allows employees to vote on whether to take protected industrial action to support negotiations.
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/2026fwc3327.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. The full FWC and Federal Court library behind every advisor answer is on Pro.
FairWork Mate AI
This is one decision. Pro reads all of them.
Free case pages cite the top 250 decisions. Pro opens the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court library, cross-references your own situation against it, and cites the decision behind every answer — plus document upload, so it can read your letter or contract line by line. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.
Just need today sorted? A Day Pass is 25 questions over 24 hours. No account, nothing to cancel.
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