Thursday, July 6, 2017

University of Technology Enterprise Bargaining Members Update


The CPSU negotiating team met with HR management and the NTEU on 20 June, 2017 for negotiation meeting number three.
Management presented two items for change: Sick Leave and Fixed Term Appointments and Conversion.
Management said that managers/supervisors are having trouble with the wording and understanding clause 9 of the EBA regarding fixed term conversion and severance pay and have simplified it. As entitlements remain unchanged, no one challenged the editing.
The university wants to make changes to sick leave. They want: “for the fourth and subsequent sick leave absences in the year”, employees provide a Medical Certificate for every day absent on every occasion. We oppose this.
Both Unions want a Joint Consultative Committee. All NSW Universities, State Owned Corporations and the Public Service of NSW already have JCCs, as a forum for consultation. UTS do not want one. They argued they already consult, but both unions argued it is haphazard at best and needs to be formalised into a JCC.
Further in the CPSU claims are:
·         Additional days for Domestic Violence Leave, bringing it up to 20 days.
·         Specific guidelines for Working from Home.
·         Adding an Allowance for Health and Safety Representatives in the workplace.
·         Clarifying “flexible work place”, which should be accessible to all employees.
·         Backfill positions when staff are absent for more than five working days.
·         Cab charge for employees working past 8pm.
·         There is a need of guidelines for broad banding.

The CPSU will finish discussion on our Log of Claims in the next meeting, scheduled for July 4, 2017.  


  • Now more than ever it is vital for UTS Professional staff to join together to stand up for your rights, if you are not already a member join today
  • (https://membership.psa.asn.au/join/)

Friday, June 23, 2017

National Weekend Warriors Day

You’ve probably seen the news – penalty rates for hospitality, retail and pharmacy workers could be slashed from July 1.

The good news is we can do something about this if we act now.

An aggressive bosses’ campaign has so far succeeded in creating rules that allow bosses to strip back weekend work protections leaving thousands of Australians at risk of a pay cut they can’t afford and don’t deserve.

These are the people who give up time with their loved ones on weekends and public holidays so that the rest of us can enjoy a meal out, grab some groceries or fill a script when we need to. These are people we know and rely on.

Right now its hospitality, retail and pharmacy workers in the firing line but if we don't take action to change the rules and protect weekend penalty rates, workers in other industries and professions will be next.

The good news is – cuts are not inevitable. Already, thousands of clubs and casino workers have had their weekend penalty rates secured.  How have they done it? With YOUR help! The loud and sustained community voice has helped convince employers that cutting weekend pay would be the wrong thing to do.

We know other employers are watching what happens.

That’s why on July 2 hospitality workers are asking the community to stand with them as one so we can ask the local businesses to agree to not cut the wages of their staff.

July 2 is National Weekend Warriors Day, where union members, supporters and people all over the country who don’t want to see cuts to penalty rates are taking action together. You can register online to receive a pack to take into your local club, pub, bar or cafĂ©. The pack contains a letter to the manager or owner, some information for staff and customers and a pledge the business can sign to commit not to cut penalty rates for their staff.

We urge you to sign up now for a pack, to have the conversation and to be part of the action on July 2 when we ask the businesses that we support to do the right thing by the people who work for them.

Let’s stop this attack on wages and the weekend before it goes any further. Go here to be involved.

Together, we can protect penalty rates for all weekend workers.

In solidarity,



Sally McManus

ACTU Secretary




Australian Unions Team
http://www.australianunions.org.au/

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Sign the petition to stop the transfer of specialist disability services to the private sector

Petition to stop the transfer of specialist disability services to the private sector – May 2017 (PDF version)

The PSA is again publicly calling on the Government to stop the risky privatisation of disability services. We need everyone across the mighty PSA to stand with our members in Ageing, Disability and Home Care.
This Government is continuing with its appalling privatisation agenda, that will give away the services that people with disability need most.  We call on the new Minister for Disability Services, Ray Williams, to halt the transfer of all public disability services to the private sector.
This time they can’t fob us off or use tricky parliamentary processes to bury debate on this issue. We’re strong, we’re united and we won’t stop fighting.
Sign now!
We call on all members to take a minute today to sign and share the petition so we can show the NSW Government we won’t allow it to sell-off our services without a fight.
Click HERE to sign the petition.
Keep up pressure the MPs
Help us get this issue front and centre by emailing your MP today and asking colleagues, family and friends to join you in fighting against disability privatisation.
Emailing your MP is simple, just click HERE and enter your postcode.

Update and Connect with the PSA

If you have moved home or work location, or you have changed your contacts, please update your membership details HERE.

Authorised by Stewart Little, General Secretary, Public Service Association of NSW, 160 Clarence Street Sydney
Please do not reply to this email address. The PSANews email account is not monitored.
For membership inquiries, please email membership@psa.asn.au

Saturday, May 6, 2017

UTS CPSU Log of Claims 2017


The CPSU serves the following claims on the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for an Enterprise Agreement for professional staff employed by UTS.

That the University of Technology Sydney Professional staff Agreement 2017 shall provide:

1.                  All existing conditions of employment to be maintained for professional staff, unless otherwise improved as a result of negotiations with the CPSU.

Consultation

2.                  The university and combined unions will form a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) for consultation on matters affecting Employees covered by the Agreement.

3.                  Improvements to the process for policy development will be dealt with through the JCC

4.                  Ensure increased transparency and accountability during Consultation relating to Change Management.

Salary and Related Matters

5.                  Negotiated and fully funded Salary (and allowance) increases guaranteed  over the life of the Agreement. Professional staff are to be reimbursed for any delays and each pay increase will compound onto the previous salary.

6.                  Professional staff provided with career paths through ongoing training and career development opportunities. This will create a trained, multi skilled workforce with increased job satisfaction.

7.                  Any staff member may apply to have the classification level of their position reviewed. If the position is reclassified to a higher level the incumbent will retain the position. 

8.                  Improvements to broad banding, so that all broad banding proposals will be developed in accordance with the agreed guidelines.

9.                  Opportunities to act in a higher position shall be offered to eligible staff on a rotating basis. When considering which person shall act in a higher position, the supervisor shall consider a range of issues including merit, staff development and the fair allocation of higher duties allowances.



Hours of Work

10.              Ordinary hours of duty band to span from 6am until 6pm Monday to Friday excluding Public Holidays.

11.              To ensure the right to flexible work arrangements be available to all professional staff in the University, with all requests documented. When requests are denied, management will provide reasons in writing.

12.              The University shall ensure that when staff work beyond normal hours they will be paid a meal allowance in accordance with the clause in this Agreement.

13.              Cab Charge dockets supplied or reimbursed through NEO to staff working after 8pm as a WH&S measure.

14.              Provision for ‘Working From Home’ arrangements to demonstrate a commitment to providing a flexible working environment;

15.              Working hours and workloads will always take into account caring responsibilities.


Leave

16.              All staff should be able to access their leave at a mutually agreed time and date. The supervisor/manager will provide in writing a reason why leave cannot be granted.

17.              A commitment that professional staff who are on leave for more than one week have their positions backfilled

18.              Improvements to parental leave, including:

                                      i.      primary carer leave regardless of gender,
                                    ii.      fully paid parental leave to fixed term employees if their contract expires after 20 weeks of pregnancy,
                                  iii.      in the event of a multiple birth an employee is entitled to four weeks extra paid parental leave for each additional child and;
                                  iv.       a clear statement that all paid parental leave entitlements shall be in addition to the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010.

19.              A commitment to provide increased support to professional staff experiencing family and domestic violence, including:
20.               
                                      i.      20 days per year for paid special DV leave

                                    ii.      Where requested by the employee, temporary or permanent changes to working times and patterns, changes to specific duties, or redeployment or relocation

                                  iii.      Measures to ensure a safe working environment, for example changing a telephone number to avoid harassing phone calls

                                  iv.      Professional staff cannot be adversely affected at work because they are experiencing domestic violence – for example being disciplined for job performance problems or denied opportunities for promotion, and
                                    v.      Professional staff who support other staff experiencing domestic violence may take carers leave to accompany them to court, to hospital or to mind children

21.              For the purposes of long service leave recognition of prior service is to include service with a controlled entity of UTS, TAFE NSW, CSIRO, and ANSTO.

General Conditions

22.              The preferred employment of professional staff should be on a continuing basis. Continuing positions which are substantively vacant should be filled permanently

23.              Improvements in process of  conversion of fixed term and casual professional staff to continuing employment status

24.              A commitment to investigate provision of public transport (Opal Card) for professional staff

25.              To avoid printing costs and improve sustainability the university will provide their staff with tablets

26.              The Agreement recognises that Professional Staff are involved in delivery of teaching and remunerates them accordingly

27.              A $2000 sign-on payment for all professional staff

28.              Indexing the current employer superannuation contributions so that any increases that result from the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Amendment Act 2012 during the term of this agreement will result in increased superannuation payments to professional staff.

29.              Severance payments for fixed term staff to be the same as found in the Higher Education Industry—General Staff—Award 2010.

30.              An outsourcing clause that provides that UTS cannot outsource the work performed by existing professional staff unless:

                                      i.      In particular circumstances where specialised equipment or specialised services are not readily available or cost effective within the University. Supporting evidence to back this claim must be provided in writing to the CPSU.

                                    ii.      The CPSU reserves the right to challenge any potential outsourcing of services/work that are currently done, or could be done by CPSU members.


31.        Professional staff elected as Health and Safety Representatives (HSR) will be provided with an            allowance comparable to the first aid allowance.

32.        Misconduct clause to include and define “misconduct” and “serious misconduct”.





Termination of Employment

33.         Improvements to the redundancy clause, including:

                                      i.      for the purpose of redundancy/retrenchment pay, continuous service is to include any service as a casual at UTS

                                    ii.      payment of all reasonable costs and charges associated with a program of retraining or other agreed measure to mitigate the effects of a position being made redundant
                                  iii.      job search assistance scheme of up to $5000 each, for professional staff made redundant

Other

34.            The CPSU reserves the right to raise other matters throughout negotiations that would     

                 benefit professional staff at UTS.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

(ACTU) secretary Sally McManus on termination of Enterprise Agreements

McManus reveals number one workplace law priority

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Sally McManus has told striking Fletcher Insulation workers the peak body will demand changes to the Fair Work (FW) Act to stop employers threatening to cancel enterprise agreements (EA) during bargaining.
Speaking at the Fletcher picket on April 6, McManus said unions had to continue defeating employers "on the ground" every time they threatened to cancel EAs until the law was changed.
Fletcher applied on March 28 to have its EA terminated after workers had been on strike for some 40 days (WF 30/3/2017).
Fletcher and the union were in Fair Work Commission (FWC) conciliation today (April 12) to try to resolve the dispute.
McManus said when Fletcher and other employers threatened to terminate EAs, "every other boss is going to think exactly the same thing that - 'we will sit on this EA and pretend to negotiate, then we will threaten to cancel it'.
"We cannot have the situation where employers can have in their back pocket the ability to threaten to cancel EAs while negotiating with workers," she said.
"Blind Freddie can tell that is unfair because it totally changes the bargaining power that you have got when you are sitting at the bargaining table.
"It was never meant to be that employers would have a lever of power that would threaten to have workers dropped back to award (rates and conditions).
"We have got to change the laws. This is the only solution to this particular problem.
"It is one of the number one things that the ACTU will demand of politicians to act on."
On March 15, AWU had told the Senate inquiry into Corporate Avoidance of the FW Act the default for EA bargaining breakdown should be FWC arbitration (WF 16/3/2017).

Fletcher blue ACTU's number one dispute

McManus said she attended the Fletcher protest to inform strikers the ACTU would ensure they had the support of the rest of the trade union movement.
She said ACTU would ramp up fundraising to help the strikers.
"We are going to take your story from one end of Australia to another so that everyone knows what is happening here on this picket line so you never feel alone," McManus said.

"As the leader of the union movement across the country - you are our number one dispute at the moment."