Application by J & P Richardson Industries Pty Ltd Trading AS Actemium
Citation: [2026] FWCA 1631
What happened
J & P Richardson Industries Pty Ltd, trading as Actemium, applied to the Fair Work Commission for approval of the J&P Richardson Industries Union Enterprise Agreement 2026. The Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU) was a bargaining representative for the agreement and wanted it to cover them. The agreement is a single enterprise agreement covering employees in the electrical contracting industry.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission approved the J&P Richardson Industries Union Enterprise Agreement 2026, noting written undertakings from the employer that will be terms of the agreement. Commissioner Ryan was satisfied the requirements of sections 186, 187, 188 and 190 of the Fair Work Act were met. The agreement will operate from July 1, 2026, and expire on February 16, 2029. Where there is inconsistency between the agreement and the National Employment Standards (NES), the more beneficial entitlements of the NES will prevail.
What it means for employers
Employers seeking to implement enterprise agreements must provide written undertakings that won't cause financial detriment to employees or result in substantial changes to the agreement. They also need to ensure their agreements don’t contradict the National Employment Standards, with the NES taking precedence where conflicts arise.
What it means for employees
Employees covered by the J&P Richardson Industries Union Enterprise Agreement 2026 will benefit from the terms outlined in the agreement. However, if any clause contradicts the National Employment Standards, the more beneficial entitlements of the NES will apply.
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/2026fwca1631.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 →