Ask yourself, do you want to go backwards or forwards in DPS?
22 July 2008, 9:06am
Your union reps have been working since November 2007 to negotiate fair and reasonable pay increases, conditions and rights for DPS employees. All the unions in DPS have supported each other to seek to address your issues but in return DPS is offering a cut in conditions and pay rise below CPI.
CPSU members will shortly vote to decide on whether they authorise protected
industrial action.
What is at stake?
Management’s proposal is:
No access to flextime for EL1s. This is despite their colleagues in the
Senate receiving flextime and an allowance of $180 per night when the Senate
sits.
An unfair cap on flextime accrual for employees who travel in support of
parliamentary committees
No language allowance for guides providing expert tours in foreign
languages
No financial recognition of employees working in the loading dock with
potentially dangerous goods
No offer for a sign-on bonus for management’s delays.
A cut in real pay with only 4.2% offered in the 1st year and 4.6% per
year for 3 years or 4.3% + 4.5% + 4.6%.
Your unions held a meeting with DPS to seek to broker a final offer. Our
settlement offer was rejected. Management countered with an offer of 4.3% + 4.5%
+ 4.6%. This equates to no overall increase in their first offer.
What is protected industrial action?
Under the Workplace Relations Act protected industrial action can be taken by
union members after the expiry of their certified agreement if that action is
supported by a secret ballot of members.
Members are legally protected against any disciplinary or legal action. You
cannot be discriminated against, threatened, or fined for stopping work, however
you will not be paid for work not performed.
You are bargaining under WorkChoices so whenever you engage in industrial
action you will be docked a minimum of four hours pay.
Who can participate?
To participate in this action you must be a CPSU member and you must be
employed on the collective agreement.
Please join with the majority of your colleagues working for a fair union
collective agreement with a decent pay outcome.
Join online here.
Secret ballot for the right to take action
Before we can take protected action, a secret ballot of all members is
conducted by an external authority – such as the Electoral Commission. The
ballot paper will ask whether you agree to taking industrial action against the
DPS. You and your colleagues will not be able to take ANY protected industrial
action unless at least 50% of members vote in the ballot and 50% plus 1 of those
votes are in favour of industrial action.
Taking Protected Industrial Action
Once the secret ballot has been held, members would then decide if and how we
might take the protected action. Industrial action must commence within 30 days
of the ballot being declared. The type of action will be dependent on member’s
input.
What can we expect management to do?
Management is likely to try and persuade you not to support industrial
action. Remember you have told management a number of times that you want fair
and reasonable pay and conditions, and they have not listened.
