News Flash

The PSA/ CPSU held meetings on Monday 27 June 2011 and Wednesday 29 June 2011 to discuss management's offer of 15 June 2011. Some members who could not attend the meetings also discussed the issues with PSA/ CPSU Senior Industrial Officer Ian Peak. From these meetings, PSA/ CPSU has formulated a response, plus additional claims, which has now been sent to management.

Pay offer
The members accepted the initial 3.9% pay increase at 01/11/2010,  and the 1.5% one off payment if that is based on the new salary applicable from 01/11/2010.

The PSA/ CPSU considers the next two pay increases of 2.5% at 1 July 2011, and 2.5% at 1 July 2012 to be insufficient, taking into account increase in cost as per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and interstate comparisons with the ARCBS employees. The PSA/CPSU is therefore claiming 4% pay increases for both 01/07/11 and 01/07/12 or the CPI increase, which ever is the greater.

Given the length of time taken in developing the Agreement, any employee who resigns before the Agreement is ratified need to be assured that they will receive all retrospective pay rises.

New Classification Framework
Members at the meetings accepted the inclusion of the new national framework into the new Agreement with a number of provisos:
    1. That those employees who are “pegged”, i.e. have a higher salary level than     in the new structure continue to receive all salary increases and the lump sum     payment.
    2. That an assurance be given in the Enterprise Agreement (EA) or by exchange     of letters or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that it is the intention of     the employer that pay increases in future agreements i.e. after 1 July 2012, will     continue to apply to “pegged” employees.
    3. PSA also asks that consideration be given to looking at classifications where     the incumbent will be disadvantaged by not achieving their hitherto maximum     salary.

Medical Scientists
PSA/CPSU requests appropriately qualified staff i.e. where a Science degree is a required qualification, continue to be entitled to call themselves Medical Scientists and that jobs be advertised as such.

Consideration should be given to developing a separate Medical Scientists classification/ remuneration structure similar to that which applies to Pathology SA. Medical Scientists should not be paid less that their counterparts in the South Australian Government Health Service.

Personal Development Leave
PSA/ CPSU would like more detail on this;  to whom does it apply and what does it mean? In most cases, training is the responsibility of the employer, and should be in paid work time not a PD Leave. Can we have a further explanation of how the 0.93% is calculated.

15 days Long Service Leave
Members were advised that ARCBS intends to retain the accrual of 15 calendar days Long Service Leave for those employees with more than 15 years of service, however, those new employees, employed after the date of certification of the 2010 agreement, will accrue only 9 calendar days for each year of service even after 15 years of service. Members have requested an assurance from the employer that they would not contemplate in future Agreements, the removal of the additional 6 calendar days Long Service Leave.

Casual Rates
As the minimum allowance in Awards is 25% the PSA/ CPSU expects that this should be in the new agreement.

PSA/CPSU expects that all casuals receive penalty rates, i.e. shift allowances, including afternoon, night, weekends and Public Holidays.

Casuals should also receive overtime payment if required to work in excess of 8 hours in any one day.

Ongoing Bargaining Process
The next bargaining meeting is scheduled for Monday 11 July 2011. The aim of these meetings is to develop a new Enterprise Agreement containing conditions of employment and salary schedules. This draft Agreement will then be sent to all employees to vote either in favour or against.

This is the successor agreement to the Employee Collective Agreement 2007, which includes your last salary increase of 1 July 2009. This Agreement continues to apply until it is replaced by a successor 2010 Agreement.

6 July 2011