PSA/CPSU enterprise bargaining information

PSA/CPSU enterprise bargaining information – June 2016 (PDF version)

As previously circulated, your PSA/CPSU Bargaining Team has finalised negotiations with TAFE NSW for an in-principle agreement which your Delegates Committee has approved. TAFE have subsequently released the proposed agreement for the required 7 day notice period, before opening the staff ballot on Friday 17 June. The ballot will run until 11:59pm on Thursday 23 June.

The PSA/CPSU is encouraging members to vote YES to the proposed agreement.

Many thanks to all the PSA/CPSU members who supported the negotiations through the recent industrial action. This demonstration of support against cuts to your conditions of employment through the Protected Action Ballot and subsequent industrial action helped considerably. TAFE conceded most of its claims to slash your conditions and the PSA/CPSU was able to protect conditions & improve the pay of most members considerably.

TAFE’s proposal back in September 2015 proposed a huge slash in conditions and pay for all staff.  Despite staff overwhelmingly rejecting this proposal, TAFE refused to significantly amend its claims, until PSA members showed their resolve by not only approving Industrial action in the Protected Action Ballot, but backing up their vote by going on strike.  It was only through the support provided to your Bargaining Team via collective action that TAFE back downed from its unfair proposals.  These back downs include:

• Broken shifts.  No longer available for all categories of employment

• Hours of work.  The PSA has secured a 35 hour week for all staff

• Salary maintenance.  All staff who have a current salary above the contemporary classification structure will have their salary maintained.  In addition, the PSA/CPSU has secured a 2.5% pay rise for three years, with the first pay rise payable from July 2016.  You can view exactly how the contemporary classification structure and 2.5% pay increases will affect your position over the life of the agreement HERE.

• Automatic transition to contemporary classification structure.  All staff will automatically transition across 6 months after the enterprise agreement is approved, rather than via hundreds of new restructures

• RDOs.  RDOs remain available to those staff who currently have them

• Permanent Part Year Employment will be limited to 650, the current number of staff working part year.  This will provide permanency to many staff currently working “contract to contract” whilst removing the ability for TAFE to restructure current full year positions to part year. Part Year Employment will also be limited to certain circumstances where ‘there is genuinely no work across the whole year’. This will be closely monitored at each Institute by the PSA/CPSU and at the Peak Consultative Committee. The PSA/CPSU will also closely monitor the use of part year employment to ensure TAFE does not go above the 650 and can justify each PPYE position.

The PSA/CPSU understands that staff will have a number of questions in regard to their new agreement.  We have prepared a fact sheet on the Flexible Working Hours Clause HERE.

We encourage you to take advantage of the 7 day notice period and review your proposed enterprise agreement.

The PSA/CPSU believes that this agreement represents a number of significant wins through the bargaining process and is encouraging members to VOTE YES.