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AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE SA

STAKEHOLDERS MEET TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR PROPOSED SA COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT 2011

On Monday 25 July 2011, the Public Service Association (PSA) and other stakeholders met with Australian Red Cross Blood Service SA (ARCBS) to discuss feedback in regard to the ARCBS (SA)  Collective Agreement, revised Wages and Conditions offer.

The Blood Service amended its wages and conditions offer, the details of which are outlined herein.

The offer is based on the assumption that:

• during the course of this bargaining process there are no additional costs incurred from changes in conditions of employment; and
• the Blood Service national classification framework is included in the new agreement.

General wages increase offer:

First full pay period on or after.

1 Nov 2010 - 3.9% *
1 Jul 2011 - 3%*
1 Jul 2012 - 3%
1 Jul 2013 - 3%

* Note, that back pay from 1/11/2010 and 1/7/2011 will include overtime and shift penalties payable on the increased base salary.

Additional benefits of the offer:

1.5% lump sum payment to be paid to all employees covered by the agreement.
This payment is offered in recognition that staff expected to receive a salary increase from 1 July 2010. However during the period 1 July to 1 November 2010 a number of payroll transactions were processed as part of the implementation of the new classification framework. Due to the higher than normal level of payroll transactions processed in this time, it will be operationally more efficient for payroll to process one salary increase, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 November 2010. The Blood Service proposes to pass on this efficiency gain by making a lump sum payment to employees. The lump sum would be equivalent to 1.5% of current salary, prior to the application of any other salary increases negotiated in this agreement.

Inclusion of the National Classification Framework in the Agreement will ensure access to the increments payable to eligible employees on 1 November 2011 and 1 November 2012 equivalent to approximately 3 - 5%

Two (2) days paid Professional Development Leave
(Equivalent to approx 0.9% general wages increase for those employees who receive this benefit.)
Throughout these negotiations scientists have raised concern that the Blood Service does not recognise medical scientists as a profession. In order to demonstrate the Blood Service’s commitment to supporting the ongoing professional development of medical scientists, two days paid professional development leave is being offered to scientists working in:
Laboratory and Processing Grade 4 and above
Applied Medical and Technical Grade 4 and above
Business and Team Management Grade 4 and above - if working in a Laboratory and Processing or Applied Medical and Technical environment.

Eligibility to receive overtime lifted to Grade 5
It has been estimated that this would be equivalent to additional salary paid as overtime of up to 20% for impacted staff

Under the previous classification structure, overtime payments were not available to employees at Administrative Services Officer Grade 6 or Medical Scientist Grade 3 and above. The Blood Service has offered to raise this cap so that staff who are employed in Grades 1 to 5 in the new classification framework will be eligible to receive overtime payments.
 
Lift the Annual Leave Loading maximum to Grade 4
Under the previous classification structure Annual Leave Loading was capped at the top increment of Administrative Services Officer Level 3. The Blood Service is offering to raise this cap to Grade 4 of the relevant job family within the new classification framework.

Night shift (as defined) penalty increased to 20%
Regular Night shift (as defined) penalty 30%
Under the current agreement night shift attracts a 15% penalty. This offer will result in a 5% increase in shift penalty for night shift work.
Bargaining representatives have also raised concern that the way the payroll system currently calculates entitlements to “regular night shift” penalties is disadvantaging some employees. The new agreement will ensure that regular night shift workers (as defined) are paid a shift penalty of 30% on an ongoing basis rather than pay period by pay period.

Easier access to additional Annual Leave for Sunday and Public Holiday shifts for shift workers (as defined)
The Blood Service recognises that working under 24/7 rostering conditions may have a negative impact on an employee's lifestyle. An offer of easier access to annual leave is made to these employees to compensate them for working under these ‘less desirable’ shift conditions.

For the purposes of calculating the cost of additional annual leave for shift workers, we used the following definition of Shift Workers taken from the Clerks – Private Sector Modern Award 2010:

    “For the purpose of the additional week of annual leave provided for in the NES, a         shift worker is a seven day shift worker who is regularly rostered to work on Sundays     and public holidays in a business in which shifts are continuously rostered 24 hours     a day for seven days a week.”

Using this definition, additional annual leave entitlements under current operating rosters would apply to Inventory & Distribution staff. No other staff are rostered on a 24/7 basis at this stage, but if they are this would also apply to them.


Casual loading increased to 25% plus casual staff will receive shift penalties and overtime allowances
Under the current agreement casuals receive a 20% loading and are not entitled to shift allowances.

As part of this offer, the Blood Service proposes to increase the casual loading to 25% and to offer shift penalties and overtime in addition to the casual loading for time worked outside normal working hours as defined.
For example if you are a casual employee and you are asked to work on a Saturday from 9:00am – 5:00pm, you would be paid your casual loading of 25% as well as a shift penalty for Saturday work of 50%.
Overtime would be paid where a casual employee works in excess of the normal rostered shift for a single day or in excess of 38 hours in a week.

One off Payment Offer as part of transition to the new classification framework
The one-off payment offer made to employees whose potential maximum salary has been reduced as a result of the transition to the new framework forms part of this offer.
If the one off payment is made, the original amount offered will be adjusted if the employee, has a salary above the maximum of their new classification or has moved to a higher increment in the previous classification framework since the original offer was made. The details of any such change to the one-off payment amount will be communicated to relevant employees in writing.

Feedback
It has been made clear by members and all bargaining representatives that the percentage increases offered of 3%, by ARCBS beyond 1 November 2010 (3.9%), fall well short of a reasonable quantum increase. Other stakeholders presented a range of concerns with both wages and other conditions outlined in the revised offer.

Next Steps
The ARCBS (SA) will continue to assess the feedback provided at the meting on 25 July 2011 and meet with stakeholders in the future to discuss where to from here or any further revised offer.

The ARCBS indicated that it would be seeking to have an offer for ballot by end of August 2011. This will depend and whether any further revised offer is tabled for consideration.

2 August 2011