Two unions applied under section 11 of the Labour Relations Act for directions allowing their representatives access to the respondent's remote bush camps to organize employees.
The incumbent union, which already represented the employees, was permitted to intervene.
The Board held that the only criteria for an access order under section 11 are that employees reside on property owned or controlled by the employer.
The Board rejected arguments that access should only be granted if there are no other reasonable means of communication, or that a more stringent test applies when employees are already represented by another union.
Finding the statutory criteria met, the Board directed the employer to allow access subject to specific conditions to prevent disruption.
