Application by Lactalis Australia Pty Ltd Trading AS Lactalis Australia
Citation: [2026] FWCA 1697
What happened
Lactalis Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Lactalis Australia, applied to the Fair Work Commission for approval of the Lactalis Lidcombe Maintenance and Service Employees Workplace Agreement 2026. The agreement is a single enterprise agreement covering employees in the food manufacturing industry. The Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union (CEPU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) were bargaining representatives for the agreement.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission approved the Lactalis Lidcombe Maintenance and Service Employees Workplace Agreement 2026. The decision confirms that all requirements under sections 186 and 187 of the Fair Work Act 2009 have been met. Both the CEPU and AMWU provided notices indicating their desire for the agreement to cover them, as required by section 183(1) of the FW Act. The agreement will operate from July 9, 2026, and expire on June 30, 2029.
What it means for employers
the Applicant seeking approval of enterprise agreements must ensure they meet all requirements outlined in sections 186 and 187 of the Fair Work Act. They also need to confirm that relevant employee organisations want the agreement to cover them, as per section 183(1).
What it means for employees
Employees covered by the Lactalis Lidcombe Maintenance and Service Employees Workplace Agreement 2026 will benefit from the terms outlined in the agreement. The CEPU and AMWU have indicated their support for this agreement.
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/2026fwca1697.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 this week sorted? A 7-Day Pass is 50 questions over 7 days, no account. Get a 7-Day Pass — $14.99
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