SHORT WRAPS

The Aus Post Newcastle dispute will be the subject of a FWC conference this Wednesday. The Telstra GAT dispute will now move to step 3 in the dispute resolution process.

REAL WAGES EXPLAINED

"Real wages" are wages that keep up with inflation. It means that your income matches your living expenses, when they increase.
Our latest inflation rate known as Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 6.1%. Therefore your pay must increase by 6.1% to stand still.
If your pay does not keep up with real wages, you have had a pay cut! Wages growth only occurs if your pay exceeds real wages.

TPG MEMBERS STILL FACE PAY CUTS

Last week, we reported on TPG Telecom's proposed wage outcome which will leave their frontline retail, call centre and logistics workers, along with their families, facing significant financial pain.
TPG has revised this proposal, and it is still a pay cut, in real-terms.
TPG's revised proposal to guarantee a wage increase of just 3% across all workers covered by the EA - with up to 1% more payable at your manager's discretion based on your performance is still a pay cut.
But it gets worse. TPG is proposing to include unpopular elements of the current Vodafone EA which will see permanent retail employees who work up to 12 hours after 6pm (or 20 hours on Saturdays), within a 2-week roster cycle, not receive penalty rates for those hours. Casual workers will still be paid penalty rates, but will lose their 25% casual loading.
No amount of window dressing will soften the blow to TPG workers and their families.
We made it clear to management that the offer doesn't cut the mustard, yet TPG intends to formally offer the proposed Agreement to workers some time in September.
TPG workers are worth more, and their families deserve better.
We are committed to continue bargaining with management in good faith to secure the very best possible outcome.

SPF TCM

This week we held a consultative meeting at SPF. The main discussion was the development of new rosters. No decisions were made. We noted that the proposal for fixed day and afternoon shifts cannot work as there were no volunteers for evening work. We also noted that rosters are restricted as not all staff are electricians. The details were referred to a LWG to consult members and report back to the TCM. We will take the position determined by all of our members - if any firm proposal is put forward by the Manager.

SWLF TCM

We have agreed to hold regular consultative meetings each 2 months at SWLF. The last one was 12 months ago. This is an opportunity for members to raise through our union any issues or problems.

CWU UK TO STRIKE

Report from Union Network International: More than 170,000 workers across the United Kingdom are going on strike.
The workers-employed by telecoms giant BT, its subsidiary OpenReach, the Post Office and the Royal Mail Group-showed an overwhelming amount of support for industrial action, and they will be on picket lines in "every town and city in the UK" demanding wages that allow them to main a decent quality of life in the midst of skyrocketing inflation.
At BT and Openreach, CWU members first walked off the job 29 July and 1 August for the first time in 35 years after negotiations failed to get a pay rise that would compensate for a spike in the cost of living.
The company imposed an annual œ1,500 increase without consulting the union. This change would, in fact, be a dramatic real-terms pay cut when compared to inflation levels of over 11 per cent in the country-that could reach 18.6 per cent by year's end.
This effective pay cut comes as BT made œ1.3 billion in annual profit, and its CEO Philip Jansen gained a fat œ3.5 million pay package-a 32% wage increase-while BT offices have reportedly established food banks to assist employees.
The next round of strikes at BT will start 30 August. The workers have received letters of support from unions in the United States, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Italy and beyond.