Promising developments at SBS, but still a way to go
21 July 2008, 10:26am
The second round of negotiations between SBS management and your unions, the Media Alliance and CPSU, have led to promising developments on a number of ongoing issues.
PMPs
Many of you have described PMPs as unfair, subjective and as offering limited
support for career progression. Your unions provided SBS management with some of
your feedback on the PMP and SBS management agreed there need to be significant
changes so the program can be meaningful and transparent. For instance:
clarifying how one can meet and exceed standards;
making the process a genuine two-way conversation between managers and
staff;
providing training and development to managers to conduct reviews;
giving employees the opportunity to independently review their results.
Work/life balance
SBS management has for now indicated they may be willing to offer the
following enhancements:
Paid maternity leave – from 12 to 14 weeks;
Unpaid maternity leave – from one to two years (within a three year
period);
Spouse/partner leave – from one to three weeks paid leave around the
time of birth, with one week as a stand alone entitlement and the remaining
two weeks from personal leave;
Adoption leave – to be the same as paid maternity leave.
In addition to this, our log of claims sought to strengthen the company’s
guarantee for you to access the flexibility and control over your working hours.
After initial reluctance, SBS has agreed to see if there is a way to strengthen
other agreement clauses on flexible working hours and other related areas.
Code of Conduct in the agreement?
SBS management has continued to put aside our opportunity to discuss the
inclusion of the company’s Code of Conduct into our agreement. Our concern is
that by excluding these policies and guidelines that affect you at work, it
leaves an opening in which the Code can be unilaterally altered without your
consultation. Tell us what you think.
Radio/TV restructures
Both SBS Radio and TV will experience major changes in the very near future.
Your concerns regarding the Radio Review and TV’s transition to a Non-Linear
Newsroom have been acknowledged by management and they have agreed to discuss
the intricacies with us at two separate meetings in the next few weeks.
The agenda will include the changes to people’s workloads, employee
consultation, grade progressions and softening the barriers between salary
bands, fixed term contracts, rostering and the staffing formula.
What other issues should we raise about Radio Review and TV’s transition to a
Non-Linear Newsroom? Contact your union organisers or staff representatives
