E000 COMMITTEE MEETING

Following the bullying complaint it was agreed that a special committee of E000 members meet on 30 Jan to discuss the issues. So fare we have the issues listed below. Our delegates from NSW and VIC will be involved. We seek your comment and issues. Please advise asap either to me or to your delegates.

E000 COMMITTEE ISSUES

• SOA - Is 3 Seconds a reasonable target (The legislation states 85% within 5 seconds etc)
• SOA - Proposal: any key to answer, in addition to mouse.
• Pause/ Stop Facility - proposed
• Noisy work area - proposed Sound proofing
• Team Leader KPI - needs explanation
• NN Misdirected Calls- needs transparent and objective process and review of 100% target
• RAT Testing - backpay for overtime when required to do in own time
• Need pay changes explained when ME, EE and not meeting expectations.
• Secret personal files - need access

POST NSW JCC

The next meeting of the JCC is on Thursday 1 Feb. Do you have any issues that need resolution. Please contact me directly of our delegates Gerard Cassar, Lakshita Seth or Bill Gilmore.

ESTA EBA - JOINT UNION BULLETIN

On 10 Jan, the Unions were presented with a proposed new Classification Structure. The structure has now been reviewed and discussed over the last two weeks. The purpose of this change is so members can identify their classification easily via introducing levels which shows pay points that identify skill sets with the matching salary.
There will be pathways for Call-taking, dispatch, training and team leading with the progression points. It is not finalised, however, some benefits are an:
1. increase to the Trainee rate.
2. introduction of a new Senior Call-Taker.
3. increase in pay for Workplace trainers.
4. increase in pay for Assistant Team Leaders.
5. introduction of a Senior Team Leader.
One of our major claims is to recognise experience, and we are determined to improve the proposal to include this. If we are unable to progress this claim in the next week, we will increase the industrial action by notifying more bans.
ESTA has emphasized that the bargaining is being conducted subject to the Victorian Government Public Sector Wages Policy (VGPS). They state the policy places restrictions on how the Agreement can be costed. Pillar 1 of the VGPS provides funding of 3% for increases in wages and conditions per annum, with an additional 0.5 % for cash payments.
Pillar 3 of the VGPS allows ESTA to seek Government approval to fund strategy or cost offsets. The proposed new classification structure is being funded by pillar 3, which is another benefit. We still have some other key issues to resolve and some claims to progress, such as better access to leave, improved access to multi-skilling, maintaining some of the MOU payments and dealing with conversion hours so that make-up hours do not have to be worked.
We aim to meet twice a week soon, to finalise a new Enterprise Agreement.

SIGN UP A NEW MEMBER - SEND THEM THIS ITEM

As you return to work in the new year, consider this: what can you do to reclaim control of your working life?
Whatever your individual resolutions are, there are certain things all workers want: fair pay, leave entitlements, safe workplaces, and even simply to be respected at work.
Joining your union is the best thing you can do to secure all this and more, not only for yourself, but also for every union member you stand shoulder to shoulder with.
Unions amplify the voices of workers in a workplace. When welcome together and fight for a fairer future, in the workplace and across the nation, we're a mighty powerful movement.
Last year we saw incredible examples of what unionists can achieve when we come together collectively to win change. From paid family and domestic violence leave to the criminalisation of wage theft, to a historic rise for the minimum wage; and much more.
Nearly two-million unionists are standing up to the cost-of-living crisis spurred on by big business price-gouging and profiteering.
So in 2024, ask yourself this: are you ready to be a part of something bigger?
Start the year off strong and be part of the movement that fights for a fairer working.
See CWUnion and follow link.

WORKPLACE DELEGATES' RIGHTS

We acknowledge the FWC web page as our source for this.
From 15 Dec 2023 workplace delegates now have new rights and protections under the Fair Work Act.
A workplace delegate is an employee appointed or elected under the rules of an employee organisation and who represent members of the organisation in the workplace.
The changes mean that delegates are entitled to:
- represent the industrial interests of members and potential members of the employee organisation (including in disputes with their employer)
- reasonable communication with members and potential members about their industrial interests
- reasonable access to the workplace and its facilities to represent those industrial interests.
Delegates employed by non-small businesses are also entitled to have reasonable access to paid time during normal working hours for workplace delegate training.
The changes also introduce new general protections for which penalties may apply. An employer must not:
- unreasonably fail or refuse to deal with the workplace delegate
- knowingly or recklessly make a false or misleading representation to the workplace delegate, or
- unreasonably hinder, obstruct or prevent the exercise of the rights of the workplace delegate.

WORKPLACE DELEGATES' RIGHTS: EXAMPLE

We acknowledge the FWC web page as our source for this.
Kieran is a workplace delegate for his union.
As a delegate, Kieran wants to run a short presentation on what workers can expect once bargaining starts for their new enterprise agreement. He also wants their input on the issues that are most important to them. Kieran schedules a 15 minute meeting during the employees' lunch break in the mess hall on-site.
On the day of the meeting, Kieran finds that the employer has locked the mess hall at the time of the meeting. The mess hall is normally left open during lunch. When Kieran approaches the employer about this, his employer says he locked the mess hall. He did this because he didn't want Kieran talking with other colleagues about bargaining while they're at work.
The employer's actions are a breach of the general protections for workplace delegates and are unlawful. This is because the employer has unreasonably prevented Kieran from access to workplace facilities to represent the industrial interests of members and has unreasonably interfered with Kieran's right to reasonable communication with members and other workers eligible to be members in relation to their industrial interests.
The employer may also have breached an award or agreement term that provides for the exercise of workplace delegates' rights.

MUA DISPUTE

Members of the Maritime Union of Australia are taking on an international, multibillion dollar company. And the union movement is right behind them.
The royal families of Dubai run Dubai ports. And they control 40% of the ports in Australia. Now they want the Australian workers who keep their ports running to get a 14% pay cut.
But the union members won't stand for it. They're sticking together to stand for fairness. But you know who is siding with the royal families? Peter Dutton, of course.
In a cost-of-living crisis, he had a choice of backing working families or price-gouging big
See Whose side is Peter Dutton on? - Australian Unions