Introduction
When you draft a single or multi-enterprise agreement, you must have an 'access period' at least 7 clear days before the vote.
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The laws covering agreement making changed on 6 June 2023. Use this information if your notification time is before 6 June 2023. If notification time for your application is on or after 6 June 2023, see Changes to making Agreements for a summary of the new laws.
The access period is when you need to give specific information to employees who will be covered by the agreement. By the start of the access period, you must give them:
- access to the agreement
- information on how, where and when they can vote
- access to any incorporated material, such as policies or any awards you refer to.
Note: if you give employees a copy of the agreement or any incorporated material, you can do this at any time during the access period.
Dates to follow for the access period
The Date calculator shows you the deadlines you must follow.
Example of dates
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If the 7-day access period is from the morning of Friday 14 February to the evening of Thursday 20 February:
- the employer must tell employees how, where and when to vote no later than Thursday 13 February
- the employer cannot hold the vote until Friday 21 February.
Next step
Next, follow the voting process, so eligible employees can vote on the proposed agreement.