There are various sorts or contracts and agreements you may be employed under. These include:
Collective Agreements – covering everyone working in a particular industry or business:
- Awards – Consent and Arbitrated
- Enterprise agreements
Individual Agreements – applying to one individual employee and their employer:
- Common law contracts
- Handshake Agreements
- Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA)
There are often not huge differences between the types of agreements, and what exists in your workplace may be to do with factors like the historical circumstances existing at the time the agreement was made, such as the history of the industry, what the Industrial Relations laws were like at the time, the presence or lack of presence of unions in the workplace or industry.
To see a definition of each, play the “Drag and Match Game”. There is some overlap between some types of Awards and Agreements.
If you are unsure what sort of agreement you are employed under, ask your employer in the first instance.