More Steps Towards a Single Service

Updated 29/07/2020

Approximately 48,000 state government employees in nearly 400 specialist occupations will get a chance to place their stamp of approval on a proposed new Victorian Public Service Agreement after both CPSU and the State Government signed off on the new deal.

The agreement will deliver improved salaries and new conditions over the next four years after extensive and detailed negotiations in the past months, but in realty it's been the sum of twelve months of negotiations, but importantly more recently, the key involvement of our members, doing their job during the Bushfire and Coronavirus crises.

The pay rises are structured to maximise the dollar amounts, with the State Government’s wage policy outcome (2% p.a.) being re-organised to front load the proposed Agreement.

Increases Comprise Salary and Annual Mobility Payments

Total increases with mobility payments will be 13%-13.5% over 48 months (20 March 2020 – 20 March 2024). Of this total, 6.75% in increases will occur in the first 18 months.

SALARY INCREASES PLUS MOBILITY PAYMENTS (OTE)

1.5% on 20 March 2020
1.25% on 1st July 2020 (MP)
1.25% on 1 December 2020
1.25% on 1st July 2021 (MP)
1.5% on 1 September 2021
1.25% on 1 June 2022
1.25% on 1st July 2022 (MP)
1.5% on 1 March 2023
1.25% on 1st July 2023 (MP)
1% on 1 December 2023

The mobility allowance is a cash payment (OTE) and is calculated at 1.25% of the pay rate at the top of a Value Range/Grade. As ordinary time earnings the payment is Superable. The mobility allowance will be paid to all employees irrespective of whether employee is required to mobilise. As the 1.25% is calculated at the top amount of the Value Range/Grade then for an employee who is at a lower salary point in the Value Range, the % increase for the employees is higher.

Agreement Delivers a Comprehensive Package of Improvements

Members will receive;

6.75% in first 18 months out of total funding of 13% - 13.58% over the four-years,
progression steps preserved, as well as the top of grade payment, with common 12-month rule to apply for progression eligibility,
increased night shift rate to 20%, up from 15%. CPP remains 35%.
10-hour break between work including shift duty and overtime with 6-months phase-in,
new raised overtime calculation cap to Grade 4.1.1. up by 6 increment steps,
Best Practice Employment Commitment (BPEC) for an employee classified as VPSG5 or higher performing regular overtime at the Employers direction to be granted time in lieu,
mobility protections to forgo need for redundancies with a payment equivalent to 1.25% of the top of each value range paid as Ordinary Time Earnings (OTE) on 1 July each year,
early retirement package for identified employees where there are program or budget changes set out in BPEC,
superannuation on unpaid parental leave up to 12 months,
the first 52 weeks of parental leave counting as service for Long Service Leave,
increased primary carer’s and/or secondary carer’s leave to 16 weeks with more flexibility with how leave can be taken and paid lactation breaks upon return to work, with opportunity to make up any progression increment lost during primary carer parental leave (up to 52 weeks).
12-month qualifying provision waived for paid parental leave for employees not subject to probation, with no need to return to work to access further parental leave,
recognition of other caring arrangement e.g. Foster and kinship care,
employees who enters a formal surrogacy which complies with the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 (Vic), are entitled to Pre-Natal leave and six weeks of paid leave,
15 days per annum paid personal leave at the rate of pay had employee worked including can be used for medical appointments with a broader definition of significant family or personal connection introduced,
Employees in receipt of workers compensation payments will be able to take and accrue annual and personal leave,
new clause that supports the Gender Equality Act 2020 (Vic), and explicitly sets out the gender equality principles, with a clause to enable equal pay cases to address gender pay gap (currently 12% in VPS),
paid gender transition leave up to 20 days,
paid leave up to 10 days for members of First Peoples Assembly of Victoria,
study leave clause to recognise micro-credentialing and CPD (compulsory professional development),
new minimum rate on completion of Certificate IV in Youth Justice (YJW Grade 1 Pay Point 1.7) with salary adjustments to apply to Existing Employees who complete Qualification. YJW Grade 1 Employee at or below the YJW 1 Pay Point 1.9 will progress six salary points. YJW Grade 1 Employee at or above the YJW Pay Point 1.10 will progress to a maximum Pay Point 1.15 and will receive a once-off bonus payment equal to 6 pay points.
4% additional super inclusion for fire roles, and insurance for personal injury, plus inclusion of additional leave provisions (previously EERL to be renamed Fatigue Management Leave, paid time to maintain fitness for emergency, and increase to logistics IMT payment,
Housing Officer re-classification uplift by a Value Range across every pay point,
recognition that the union can raise disputes in its own right, with the ability to raise a dispute about unreasonable delays in a misconduct investigation,
probation increase to 6 months to align with the minimum employment period under the Fair Work Act, but for new employees only and not required for employees moving between VPS departments/agencies.

Mobility

The primary goal of Mobility is to facilitate the ongoing employment of staff who may be displaced through organisational change and/or reprioritisation of budgets. More recently mobility has been utilised to provide a surge workforce for the State Government to deploy to fight bushfires over summer and assist with community recovery, as well as respond within multiple agencies tracing and tackling COVID-19.

The Government has said it has no plans for a program of voluntary or forced redundancies with the goal being that staff with required skills and experience be deployed in other parts of the VPS or other statutory authorities covered by CPSU agreements. Any reduction of staff in program areas affected is to be managed via attrition.

Mobility therefore;

aims for secure, flexible employment in the public service.
promotes VPS as career path of choice for the broader workforce.
encourages employees to continue their career development and diversification in VPS.

Mobility payments equal to VPS amounts will apply to the other classification structures.

Accredited Training Package FREE for Members

CPSU has been working with the Victorian Skills Commission behind the scenes to establish an accredited training package for members to operationalise the jobs and skills exchange. CPSU knows that the ability to improve capability and promote sensible job building mobility is training and our proposal to create a public sector training package has been approved and accredited by VRQA. The accreditation is for seven (7) short courses designed to provide a nationally recognised micro qualification taken from the Certificate in Government and the Certificate in Government Investigations. The short courses will be provided by a TAFE college and will be provided free (other than the student amenity fee) for members of CPSU. The courses are designed to fill a gap for VPS and wider sector staff who want a career in the service but are often not able to undertake professional development. The skills will also assist in the operationalising of the mobility agreement, so people are able to be trained to meet the demands of new or different roles.

Our focus is to both provide much needed professional development for members but to also assist people keep a job.

Agency and Occupational Specific Appendices

All the agency specific appendix negotiations have also been concluded including a host of further improvements for these members and details are available on our website.

CPSU recommends the Agreement because it achieves many of the claims sort by the union.

Thank you for your support and your patience.

THE SERVICE DOESN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT US.

Now is not the time for spectators. Now is the time to join your union.

KAREN BATT
CPSU Victorian Branch Secretary / Federal Secretary

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