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28-09-2012 Optus negotiations draw to close
The negotiations between the CWU and Optus for a new Enterprise Agreement are close to finalisation.
As reported in earlier E-bulletins, the range of issues under consideration in these negotiations has been somewhat narrower than has been the case in Telstra where we faced the challenge of trying to simplify and align all the different terms of employment in the company.
Unlike Telstra, Optus has never made extensive use of Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) or other forms of individual employment contracts.
For the length of its history it has only had one single type of Agreement - an Employment Partnership Agreement (EPA) as it is called - which has not undergone any really major changes since Optus came into being.
This time around a certain number of changes had to be made because of the requirements of Labor's Fair Work Act. The CWU has been involved in drafting new clauses in areas such as individual flexibility agreements and dispute resolution to ensure that the new Agreement meets these requirements.
We have also been in discussions around current redundancy provisions, working hours and of course pay rises. We hope to be able to report soon on improvements in some of these areas.
Unfortunately, however, we have not to date been able to reach agreement with Optus over the question of pay rises and the way they are determined.
At present, the Optus agreement guarantees pay rises in line with movements in the cost of living (CPI). But in a period of very low inflation such as the present, this commitment doesn't in itself deliver much of a pay rise at all - it could be less than 2%.
The CWU has argued for rises of at least 3% per annum to the minimum pay rates in the Agreement for the first two years and 3% or CPI, whichever is higher, in the third year.
We expect to be able to report on the final outcome of these negotiations in the next E-bulletin. In the meantime members seeking further information should contact their state branches.
17-08-2012 Optus agreement negotiations
A number of meetings between Optus and the CWU have been held over the last two weeks with a view to negotiating a new Enterprise Agreement for the company.
No major changes to existing conditions are being proposed by Optus. For its part, the CWU is proposing improvements to the current redundancy provisions, increased flexibility in the way long service leave is taken and the introduction, over time, of a shorter working week.
Both parties are also working to ensure that clauses in the agreement relating to employee consultation, dispute handling and individual flexibility arrangements meet both the letter and the spirit of the Fair Work Act which came into force after the last agreement was certified.
The CWU and Optus are working to a timetable that should allow these issues - and the question of the pay rise - to be dealt within the next few weeks.
Optus members will be kept informed of developments.
17-08-2012 Optus agreement negotiations get underway
The CWU has begun formal negotiations with Optus for a new Enterprise Agreement.
The CWU met with Optus on Wednesday 15 August for the first of a number of discussions which we hope will deliver an improved agreement and fair pay rise by the time the current agreement reaches its nominal expiry date in late October.
A number of the issues that the CWU has flagged for discussion are "housekeeping" matters arising from the introduction of Labor's Fair Work Act which came into force after the current agreement was approved.
The CWU wants to ensure, for instance, that consultation arrangements and dispute resolution procedures fully reflect the terms of the current legislation.
Other issues are those raised by members. Not surprisingly, given recent events, members have been telling us that redundancy entitlements is one of the matters that ranks high in importance for them. The CWU will be looking to see how current entitlements and procedures can be improved.
Members will be kept informed of progress in these negotiations through the E-bulletin. Meanwhile members and other Optus employees are still encouraged to participate in the CWU's EA survey which can be found on-line at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OptusEPA.
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