Certified Agreement (CA) Negotiations

As most of you will have seen from recent emails and HR bulletins, there is still a wide gap between our claims and WorkSafe management s offer and one important issue, but not the only one, is pay where management are proposing a real wage cut for staff with trade-offs to fund this while continuing their own lucrative remuneration systems.

CPSU members are claiming pay increases of 6% for 2008, 6% for 2009 and 6% for 2010.

VWA Management is now offering 3.5% for 2008, 3.75% for 2009 and 3.75% for 2010.

This offer is well below the current, and expected, rates of inflation.

The most recent annual CPI figure, for the 12 months to the September quarter is 5% and this is on top of a CPI figure for the year to June 2008 of 4.43%.

Not satisfied with a real wage cut in their offer VWA management is seeking to have any increase, and any other improved conditions, paid for by trade-offs in the agreement.

In other words VWA want you to take a cut in your real wage and pay for this cut by taking a cut in your conditions of employment.

The negotiations for the new CA have reached a critical stage.

If members are to get an agreement in time for any pay increase to come into affect from 1 December we need to complete the negotiations as soon as possible, however we aren t prepared to sell members short on pay or conditions just to get an agreement.

** Meeting on the CA negotiations **

An urgent meeting of FSU and CPSU members has been called for 12:30PM today Friday 24 October at rooms 24BC&D, 222 Exhibition Street.

If you can make this meeting please do so, if you can t but wish to raise any issue or ask any questions please email Grant Odgers who will ensure that are addressed.

Non-union members, who are interested in joining, are also welcome to attend, however if there are any motions to be voted on, including any instructions to the unions negotiating team, only union members will have their voices heard.

Do you know someone in WorkSafe who is not yet a union member?

The more members we have the stronger we are. If you have a workmate who is not yet a member why not ask them if they are interested in joining the CPSU?

http://www.cpsuvic.org/public_docs/memform.pdf

More people join unions because they were asked by someone they work with than for any other reason. If you are having a conversation with someone about the CA negotiations it doesn t hurt to ask if they are a union member and if they are not give them a membership form.

After all your union dues are paying for the union industrial staff negotiating the agreement, and unions members at WorkSafe are working hard to ensure that we get the best possible agreement.


TOGETHER WE DO BETTER!


KAREN BATT
CPSU Victorian Branch Secretary

Friday, October 24, 2008