UNSW Members Bargaining Report 17
UNSW Members Bargaining Report 17
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| Members' Bargaining Report #17 | 6 September 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Since the university released a draft agreement on 2 July 2010 your CPSU Bargaining Team has negotiated further improvements. We followed our member’s direction to bargain in good faith and build on the positive gains we have won to reach a reasonable, fair and equitable outcome for general staff. Since the draft was released, the UNSW has also agreed to:
Further selected CPSU achievements are detailed below Annual Leave and Shutdown The University appears to have dug in its heels on the issue of annual leave and the shutdown. However, we will continue to negotiate hard to achieve an acceptable outcome for members. Over 700 General Staff replied to our survey with valuable feedback. We have analysed the results and these have shaped a CPSU settlement proposal that has been put to the University. This will be discussed at this Thursday’s bargaining meeting. What did you tell us? Shutdown. The majority of staff did not accept the University’s proposed shutdown clause (76.8%). However, a significant number of respondents said that a limited shutdown at Christmas is acceptable (61%). A minority of staff completely opposed the concept of the shutdown. A majority of members support the CPSU trying to reach a fair and reasonable compromise outcome. Using the suggestions offered through the survey we have proposed a clause that would:
Annual Leave. 69.3% of staff rejected the University’s proposal. Most respondents believed the direction to reduce annual leave to 10 days was too low. There was a strong message to either maintain the ability to accumulate up to 40 days of annual leave or be able to accumulate up to 40 days of annual leave in special circumstances. Pay increase. 56% of staff said the offer was not acceptable however, a number of respondents qualified this by saying it would be acceptable if overall we won a fair and reasonable outcome for general staff. 90% said no to trading off conditions to get more money. We are still trying to get an improved pay offer with either a sign on bonus and/or an increase in the percentages.
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WHAT’S NEXT? Next EB meeting 9 September 2010 To be negotiated: Shutdowns CPSU member meeting 13 September 2010 Time and venue Your continued support Contact the CPSU Adrianne Harris OR Deborah Encel OR unsw@ CPSU - for a true Your Workplace |
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| Improvements we have achieved so far in your Enterprise Agreement |
| Clause | Improvements for General Staff | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Continuing (contingent funded research) Employment | A new category of ongoing employment for General Staff who have been on recurring fixed term contracts, particularly in research centres who receive recurrent research funding, providing job security has been difficult. This new category of employment provides ongoing employment, contingent on the ongoing (or recurrent) funding. The main disadvantage is the exclusion of redundancy, in the event of funding not being renewed. This is offset by severance pay available depending on length of service. These are consistent with entitlements currently in place for staff on recurring fixed term contracts. The main objective is to remove the need to renew contracts again and again and provide ongoing job continuity for as long as funding continues. |
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| Carers Leave | 12 days of Carer’s Leave will now be available from the second year of service. This is up from 10. Staff can also get carer’s leave to care for people who are not normally covered by the definition of “immediate family member”, but where there is a significant and close cultural or family relationship. We have also won an improvement to the definition of immediate family to include “a person who lives in an employee’s household”. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bereavement Leave | Bereavement Leave will be renamed Compassionate Leave to reflect the National Employment Standards in the Fair Work Act. Three days of leave will be available on each occasion for the following:
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| Gender Neutral Agreement | The CPSU successfully campaigned to extend the number of the Universities across NSW who have introduced the Ally program to reduce discrimination against staff and students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex. The UNSW has implemented the Ally Program and continues to be committed to this. The CPSU has successfully negotiated that all references to gender be removed and made neutral. This is in line with the objectives of the Ally Program and is an important first step in improving the University’s culture to be more inclusive. |
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| Grandparent Leave and Parental Leave |
The CPSU has negotiated the first paid grandparent leave clause in the country. This will allow grandparents to take 2 weeks leave on full pay to assist a parent with a newborn baby.
The University has agreed to increase the total amount of paid maternity/adoption leave to 36 weeks on full pay for staff with 5 years or more of service. Between the commencement of employment and 5 years, staff get 26 weeks on full pay. The university has also agreed to allow parents that both work at the UNSW to agree to full maternity leave entitlement. This is now, arguably, the best parental leave clause in the country. |
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| Union Rights |
The CPSU has negotiated reasonable paid time for union delegates for the conduct of union activities and leave for union representatives to attend external union meetings, trade union training courses and such associated activities. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic Violence |
The CPSU has negotiated the first clause in an enterprise agreement in the country that recognises domestic violence as a workplace issue and entrenches support for staff experiencing domestic violence. |
To help defend the conditions the CPSU has already won and to get better outcomes for annual leave, shutdowns and pay ask a workmate to get with the strength and join the CPSU.