AWAs: an Employer Tool to Foster Employee Relations, Avoid Unions, and Reduce Labour Costs

By Kristin van Barneveld and Ross Nassif

Why do employers use AWAs?

The major reasons can be grouped under the following areas:

· to foster positive employee relations

· to avoid the influence of unions in the workplace

· to reduce labour costs

The authors contend that not all AWAs are used for purposes detrimental to employees. The second generation of AWAs are important for research, to discover whether they are becoming more sophisticated as employers become more comfortable with their use. They also consider AWAs from a policy perspective and argue that the reasons attributed to the pursuit of AWAs should be enshrined in the approval process.