Charles Sturt University – Log of Claims for New Enterprise Agreement 2013

CPSU General Staff Log of Claims for a new enterprise agreement

LOG OF CLAIMS:

Click Here to download the Log of Claims for Charles Sturt University General Staff

The CPSU, serves the following claims on Charles Sturt University for a collective Agreement for professional staff employed by the University and its wholly or majority owned and controlled entities.
This should be separate to any other Agreements negotiated between Members of the University, including Academics and Professors.
We seek to rename the General Staff classification to ‘Professional Staff’ or “Professional Support Staff”, and through the renegotiation of this Agreement to obtain rewards and recognition commensurate with our professional status.
To protect our terms and conditions, we seek the following:
1. The maintenance of all existing conditions of employment for professional staff, unless otherwise improved as a result of negotiations with the CPSU, to be comprehensively expressed in a single professional staff collective agreement.
2.Where policies and guidelines affect professional staff they are only to be made or varied after negation with the CPSU.
3.Conditions which are typically unique for Professional Staff will be strengthened and protected. These include (but are not limited to);
a. any ‘stand down’, for any purpose, will only be with pay, and never without pay for Professional Staff who are generally paid lower than Academic Staff;
b. classification conditions to include “or equivalent experience” for any qualification standards, for all professional staff position descriptors;
c. that every hour of work is to be paid or compensated for, including overtime and flex time;
d. wages to be consistent with actual duties performed, implemented by expeditious reclassification;
4. That only Professional Staff are covered by an Enterprise Agreement, negotiated by, voted on and approved by only Professional Staff with no involvement or interference by legislated members who form the University’s body corporate.
5. The University commits to continuing employment as the standard form of employment that is to be utilised wherever possible, through the application of merit selection, and to recognise that this form of employment provides the greatest security and wellbeing for Professional Staff and their families.
6. The Agreement will provide clear guidelines on the employment of funding contingent, casual, and fixed-term employees.
7. Provisions for converting externally funded, recurring fixed term positions to ongoing “Continuing (Contingent Funded) Employment” to provide increased job security for Professional Staff in areas funded by recurring research grants or similar.
8. The Agreement will include provisions for the mandatory conversion of long term casual and fixed term employees to ongoing employment, with the employee’s agreement, as well as conversion for professional staff working long term with higher duties.
9. Service as a casual will count towards service after gaining permanent ongoing work and in the event of redundancy. All casual service will result in the accumulation of long service leave.
10. The University will report to the CPSU through the Management and Staff Consultative Committee, or its equivalent, on the use of employment categories, ie casual, part-time, fixed-term and funding contingent employees, including the length and pattern of casual employees who have worked for more than 10 months and if conversion to continuing or fixed term will be offered.
11. The University will make specific provision for the protection of injured employees’ entitlements where they are threatened or diminished as a result of the operation of recent changes to the statutory workers’ compensation scheme, through make-up pay, or other appropriate measures.
To reward Professional Staff appropriately we seek the following:
12. Pay increases which are guaranteed and fully funded over the life of the Agreement at a rate and frequency to be determined by CPSU members during negotiations. Professional Staff are to be reimbursed for any delays and each pay increase will compound onto the previous salary. The Agreement will facilitate a percentage decrease between the lowest paid Professional Staff and the highest paid income earners at CSU.
13. A sign-on payment for all professional staff
14. The maintenance of current superannuation provisions for permanent and fixed-term staff, and an increase in employer contributions for casual staff to a level of parity with permanent and fixed-term staff.
15. An increase in all allowances from the beginning of the Agreement, consistent with the total agreed pay outcomes over its term.
16. A school holiday care allowance for parents of children of school age placed in approved child care and that the University explore the provision of salary deductions for non-work based childcare.
17. Salary sacrifice provisions for Professional Staff to be increased with more options to be made available.
18. Where the University statutory membership increases at greater rates than in previous years, and the collective reputation of the University membership increases which increases the value for the University members, Professional Staff will be rewarded with additional pay increases.
To enhance the dignity, respect, safety, job security and career progression of Professional Staff, we seek the following:
19.Professional Staff will have an independent voice within all levels of the University community, enabled to effective contribute to consultative arrangements which are outlined in the Agreement and including the rights relating to resources and other matters pertaining to the role of the CPSU and its activities.
20.That the Agreement will prohibit forced retrenchment of Professional Staff, and will provide measures to ensure that overall Professional Staff numbers are not reduced over the life of the Agreement.
21.That the Agreement will provide for the transfer or placement of Professional Staff by mutual agreement only.
22.That the Agreement will provide enhanced measures to ensure:
a. Compulsory, timely, genuine and effective consultation occurs with all relevant internal stakeholders prior to change management occurring;
b. Comprehensive consultative arrangements including the early notification of the consideration of organisational change, the rationale for change, the provision of all relevant information including financial information, workload implications and cost benefit analyses relating to the proposed change;
c. That the CPSU is fully informed of any organisational change under consideration when that change is first contemplated;
d. That where a formal change management process is in place, the CPSU will be provided by the University, as soon as is practicable, with all copies of draft, formal and final change plans and all other relevant documentation distributed to affected staff;
e. That a definition of ‘workplace change’ and ‘redundancy’ is provided and clarified;
f. That there is an explicit prohibition on the “spilling and filling” of jobs;
g. That mutually agreed redeployment is the principal means of managing displaced employees, and a comprehensive means of mitigating the number of redundancies;
h. That any suitable positions across the entire CSU enterprise, including all campuses and owned entities, that may be available, to be offered for consideration, with any relocation arranged by mutual agreement with the University management providing a $10,000 relocation allowance.
i. That for redeployment there is a centrally administered suitability assessment and placement process and six month trial placement arrangements by mutual agreement;
j. That it is incumbent on the University to demonstrate why an employee would not be suitable for redeployment given access to appropriate training;
k. That in the case of redundancies, the University will increase its range of options to Professional Staff, including the option of ‘voluntary position swaps’;
l. That formal change processes will identify any expected workload increases for staff in the affected unit and present means for mitigating such increases. A regular post-change workload review will be incorporated as a formal procedure in all formal change processes, and steps will be developed to counter any such increases in workload where identified;
m. That superannuation is to be included in any redundancy payment;
n. That Professional Staff are paid any reasonable costs and charges associated with a program of retraining or other agreed measure to mitigate the effects of a Professional Staff employee position becoming surplus;
o. That Professional Staff participating in any scheme that temporarily reduces their salary (including a temporary variation of their substantive position involving a change from full time to part time hours) will have any severance payments calculated on the substantive salary that was paid prior to the temporary variation (including any subsequent pay rises) if redundancy occurs while this temporary arrangement is in place;
p. That any Professional Staff redeployed to a lower position descriptor level will retain the salary they received in their substantive position prior to redeployment until such time as the salary of their post-redeployment position equals or exceeds the salary of the substantive position they held immediately prior to redeployment;
q. That there is a prohibition on employees undertaking the work of a ‘redundant’ position.
23.In addition to ‘significantly and detrimentally’, organisational change includes other changes impacting on the work environment.
Workplace Health and Safety
24.That the Agreement will explicitly provide that there will be zero tolerance of all forms of discrimination, bullying and harassment; will provide a specific framework for dealing with allegations of discrimination, bullying and harassment, and will contain specific measures to prevent repetition of such behaviour in individuals, and within work units.
25.That HSRs will be provided with an allowance comparable to the first aid allowance.
To ensure that the work environment enhances professional recognition, reward and support, we seek the following:
26.That all Professional Staff will be classified consistent with the duties they perform and in accordance with the classification descriptors that will remain in the Agreement.
27.That the Agreement will:
a. Provide a comprehensive and fair classification and job evaluation process for Professional Staff that is clear, transparent and expeditious, with back pay to the date of application;
b. Provide for the regular review and comparison of all positions and position descriptions for accuracy;
c. Provide for position evaluation at the initiative of the employee; and
d. Ensure that position descriptions contain the totality of duties required of an employee without ambiguity, are updated regularly by agreement, and not less than annually
28.During the life of the next Agreement, the University will negotiate the introduction of Broadbanded positions; introduced and implemented in a transparent and equitable method.
Performance Planning & Development
29.That the University will create a mechanism in consultation with the CPSU to provide for regular review over the life of the agreement regarding the effectiveness of the PMDS Process in meeting the career development needs of Professional Staff.
30.That the Agreement will include measures to ensure the objectivity of Professional Staff assessment by their reviewers during the PMDS process, and will include avenues for effective appeal against assessments reviewed staff believe to be inaccurate.
31.That the Agreement will include a mandatory career development component tied to resources which are funded centrally.
32.That the Agreement will ensure that all Professional staff required to undergo a PMDS process will have a current and up to date duty statement prior to engagement in the process. Should a duty statement not be available, or should the available duty statement be out of date, the career development aspects (only) of the PMDS process will proceed, and no formal assessment of performance will be undertaken. Any changes or updates to duty statements in this process will be by agreement between the employee and supervisor.
33.That the Agreement should include measures to assist Professional Staff to continue to develop their career lifetime education. These measures are to include:
a. Career break leave arrangements;
b. Genuine and increased access to study leave arrangements using a broad definition of study, including equity of time and for alternative delivery methods (i.e. correspondence/external study);
c. A comprehensive and transparent centrally funded career training and development scheme for Professional Staff, including courses that are relevant to technical and other non-administration staff;
d. Equity in the distribution of funding for training and career development opportunities, including opportunities for staff to gain knowledge and experience in other roles across the University via work experience or temporary job exchange programs;
e. A formal, transparent, and equitable “expression of interest” based process for Professional Staff to access opportunities pertaining to higher duties, secondments and other temporary changes;
f. Comprehensive on the job training for all Professional Staff;
g. Accelerated progression;
h. Access to study at Charles Sturt University at a discounted rate for Professional Staff members and their immediate family; and
i. During the life of this Agreement the University will CONSIDER? increased staff secondments and temporary professional staff exchanges between NSW TAFE Institutes and CSU.
34.That all procedures relating to staff performance and conduct are designed and undertaken according to the principles of natural justice.
To ensure that Professional Staff have the opportunity to balance work and life, we seek the following:
Working Hours
35.That the Agreement will enshrine reasonable working hours and there will be no provision for Professional Staff ordinary working hours to be increased.
36.That all working hours for Professional Staff are to be remunerated.
37.That working hours shall always take account of caring responsibilities and work life balance and no staff member exercising any University sanctioned flexibility arrangements that for these purposes will be in any way disadvantaged because of this.
38.That the agreement will provide for working arrangements that will allow employees to balance personal and work commitments, including access for all employees to part-time work. No Professional Staff will be financially disadvantaged in any severance
payment due to accessing a temporary part-time work arrangement in the interests of work-life balance if they are made redundant while in this temporary part time arrangement.
39.That where weekend or other shift work outside the normal span of hours is a requirement, issues of equity and work-life balance will be taken into account when rostering staff.
40.That the University will ensure that Professional Staff are not required to work regular overtime unless by agreement, and are not required to work unreasonable amounts of overtime.
Workload
41.That University management will ensure that workloads of Professional Staff are safe, realistic and achievable. Steps will be taken to ensure that workload issues do not negatively impact on a staff member’s ability to access regular leave, flexibility and training and career development opportunities.
42.That the Agreement will provide for arrangements to monitor and ensure reasonable and manageable workloads, including an independent appeal process to challenge unreasonable workloads.
43.For the Agreement to allow for Professional Staff to propose resolutions to ongoing, increased workload issues, where both the resolution and response are documented and reported to Faculty or Division management.
44.That all change management proposals must include an assessment of the workload implications for Professional Staff, and measures to mitigate any anticipated increase in workload.
45.That the Agreement will ensure that employees may refuse to work overtime.
46.That all flextime will be compensated: either appropriate time off; by direct payment where unable to take time off; or by direct payment at overtime rates if direct payment or equivalent time off has not been provided 3 months after the accounting period ends.
47.Where an employee leaves the University for any reason, flex time accrued will be paid out.
48.The University will establish a centrally managed record keeping of hours works, including flex time, and ensure payment in lieu of overtime is made when due.
Leave Provisions
49.That the Agreement will ensure that the current flexible working hours scheme will be maintained and improved allowing for:
a. Greater access for all Professional staff;
b. The University to establish a central, flexible working hours policy, with the agreement of the CPSU, and that all Faculties and Divisions to negotiate any changes or variation from the central policy with professional staff and the CPSU
c. Staff to accumulate hours where leave applications are rejected; and
d. Accumulation of 35 Hours of flexi-time per accounting period without approval.
50.That the Agreement will ensure that no directions to take annual leave occurs where leave requests have been refused in the previous 12 months.
51.That where an annual close-down of all or part of the University occurs during the Christmas/New Years period, all Professional Staff will be provided with a day in lieu of the Bank Holiday as well as concessional days to cover any work days which are not public holidays.
52.That the Agreement will provide for paid grandparent leave and other forms of leave that will facilitate the retention of mature age workers.
53.That there will be no diminution of annual leave loading or long service leave for Professional Staff.
54.That the Agreement will make qualitative and quantitative improvements to parental leave, including an increase of paid partner (non-primary care giver) leave and ensuring parental leave is available to the primary care giver, regardless of gender.
55.That the Agreement will include Carer’s Leave entitlements separate from the sick leave provisions to 15 days per year, cumulative.
56.That up to one weeks’ compassionate leave will be granted on each occasion of a death or development of serious illness of a Professional Staff members’ immediate family and / or household.
57.That Professional Staff members suffering domestic violence involving situations of significant and ongoing abuse in their personal lives, will have access to 20 days per year of paid special leave for medical appointments, legal proceedings, re-housing activities and other activities related to domestic violence.
58.An increase in Emergency Services Leave to adequately cover the training, duties and post-operational recovery of Professional Staff who assist the community in this manner in an official capacity as well as full coverage of major incidents (such as fires and floods).
59.For the recognition of CPSU delegates contributions for Professional Staff and to the University community be recognised with additional paid leave.
Other
60.This Agreement will contain practical measures which reflect the commitment of the employer, employees and the CPSU to generate productivity through a sustainable environment and meet the challenges of global warming, including:
a. Consultative mechanisms to allow for consideration of the ways to reduce the carbon footprint and increase energy and resource efficiency of the employer;
b. Provision of appropriate facilities for employees to encourage walking, car pooling, cycling to and from work, and the use of public transport;
c. Voluntary flexible working arrangements that could reduce the number of attendance days at the University without loss of pay or other entitlements; and
d. Feedback to be enabled to work unit managers and senior managers, without negative recourse, which is designed to increase workplace harmony, health and safety and workplace productivity, including feedback on local managers’ performance.
61.The CPSU reserves the right to raise other matters throughout negotiations that are to the benefit of Professional Staff.