A number of Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) body repair members in a key regional city have lodged a Collective Bargaining Class Exemption Notice with the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) to permit a collective bargain with IAG on repair rates and conditions.
Approved collective bargaining allows the repairers to negotiate with the insurer together as a group, which competition laws would otherwise prevent.
VACC supports the members’ action and is providing assistance to the members in this process.
This is the first collective bargaining initiative that Paint & Panel has heard of since the ACCC made exemptions for small business to be able to bargain back in 2021.