Protected Action Ballots and Protected Industrial Action under the Fair Work Act: The Impact of Ballot Procedures on Enterprise Bargaining Processes

根据2009年《公平工作法》（澳大利亚联邦），雇员可采取合法的劳工行动支持集体谈判，条件是他们首先以无记名投票方式授权采取行动。本研究项目探讨了法定程序的影响，通过该程序，这些雇员的谈判代表寻求公平工作委员会的许可，进行投票。它将审查投票要求和法定程序对谈判代表决策的影响以及随后雇员参与工业行动的机会，以了解监管计划对企业谈判行为的影响。这是第一次对罢工投票进行实证研究，分析了一个重要的公共政策领域。

Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), lawful industrial action may be taken by employees in support of collective bargaining, provided that they have first authorised the action in a secret ballot. This research project explores the effect of the statutory process by which a bargaining representative of such employees seeks permission from the Fair Work Commission to conduct a ballot. It will examine the impact of the ballot requirement and statutory process on decision-making by bargaining representatives and subsequent employee access to industrial action in order to understand the effect of the regulatory scheme on enterprise bargaining behaviour. It is the first empirical study of strike ballots, analysing an important public policy area.