No matter how wonderful the collective agreement is that you make with your employer, it's not worth the paper it's written on unless you make sure that it's followed.
It is up to you and your colleagues to ensure that the bargain that you strike is properly implemented. This may involve:
keeping channels of communication open with your management
ensuring that procedures (such as grievance and dispute settling procedures) are respected
being involved in consultative committees
being organised and keeping in regular contact with other activists, members and non-members in your workplace
campaigning around breaches of the agreement, and
educating other members about rights and entitlements.
Enforcing your agreement during its life is as important as your performance in bargaining. This applies to both your current agreement, and also to future agreements that you hope to negotiate with your employer.
To enforce your agreement you need to have an organised workplace, with networks of co-workers that you can rely on for support and assistance.
Being organised
The most important part of successfully enforcing your agreement and a successful bargaining campaign is whether you are organised. In the context of achieving outcomes in your workplace, being organised means:
Assessing your workplace and your employer/agency:
using a “map” to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your union organisation; and
assessing strengths and weaknesses/who best to approach etc.
Talking to workmates one to one:
signing up new members - workers achieve most when union membership is strong; and
involving new and existing members in union activities including your preparation for bargaining.
Building your workplace organisation
developing the skills and knowledge of involved members and
developing networks, committees and communication strategies in your own workplace and throughout the organisation.
Once your networks are operating they will enable you to:
spread the work-load;
encourage more involvement and commitment;
create a pool of ideas and experience;
produce a wider spread of contacts and skills; and
ensure that everyone is kept informed.
Networks allow you to monitor your employer’s adherence to the current agreement, and to assess the views of members and staff about the progress of bargaining.
Workplace delegates' committees and section councilors are a good starting point for getting organised. They have been elected by CPSU members as their representatives, and are ideally placed to be a part of this process. If your agency or region doesn't have a delegates' committee, this could be a good catalyst for starting one.
It can take many months to establish effective networks in the workplace. So if you haven’t already got the networks in place, you must start immediately.
If you are unsure how to organise your workplace in the ways described above, or have not been making the progress you would like to in this area, your CPSU organiser can arrange training to assist you and your delegates' committee with the skills and planning necessary to being organised.
