The latest ARC draft enterprise agreement has been voted on. CPSU members already gave the agreement a big tick of approval – and the all staff vote returned a unanimous “yes” vote too.
Of the all staff vote, 95 staff were eligible to vote, and 79 “yes” votes and no “no” votes were received. The unanimous vote means the draft agreement will now go to Fair Work Australia for finalising.
Your ARC CPSU representatives achieved a package of pay and conditions which will benefit all ARC staff. Highlights include:
three percent wage increase starting 1 July
all allowances to increase by three percent
employer superannuation contributions made for staff on unpaid maternity leave
reduction in qualifying time for higher duties to five days
What next?
As many members already know, the APS is about to undergo some reform. Your new agreement is for 12 months because the APS is moving to a more streamlined service wide bargaining process. Your agreement is good for now, but we’re hoping to do better.
More than a decade of agency-based bargaining across the APS has created a fragmented service riddled with different conditions and massive pay gaps.
The clock is ticking
A year may seem like a long time now, but with nearly the entire public service coming of their enterprise agreements on 30 June 2011, it's vital that union members get organised and have their say about how APS bargaining will work in the future.
The CPSU is campaigning for a better way to bargain. Workers from across the APS are getting together to organise a bargaining position to put to Government to secure essential services and quality jobs. Your CPSU representatives will be coming to talk to you about the CPSU bargaining survey soon.
For more information about the Better Way to Bargain campaign visit www.cpsu.org.au. You can also join online.
