Water NSW staff torpedo unfair UEA – December 2017 (PDF version)
Nearly two-thirds of Water NSW staff have voted down a management proposed enterprise agreement that would have seen conditions stripped away and some staff forced backwards financially to accommodate the NSW government’s war on public sector workers.
Under the classification formula endorsed by the government’s powerful expenditure review committee, guaranteed pay increases for many staff were capped at less than inflation (one per cent), and trade-offs were expected without compensation.
The feedback we received from CPSU NSW members also pinpointed the corporation’s opaque performance pay scheme as deeply unpopular.
Not surprisingly, Water NSW staff voted strongly to reject the corporation’s package.
The CPSU NSW will meet with other union representatives on Monday, 18 December to discuss the ballot result and a way forward. We have already indicated to Water NSW that we are ready to get back to the negotiating table to hammer out a package that’s fair, with real incentives for all staff.
To this end we believe the corporation should dump its performance pay scheme altogether.
Nor should staff be expected to relinquish valuable employment conditions or accept a substandard pay deal simply to accommodate government ideology or changes to the machinery and organisation of government services.
We are aware Water NSW has asked for staff for feedback following the corporation’s failed Unified Enterprise Agreement (UEA) offer. While we’re not opposed to consultation, we are concerned Water NSW will try to use this to justify a predetermined and inflexible position.
To make sure the process is as fair dinkum, as current and as representative as possible, we would like you to give us further feedback on where you think they got it wrong.
You can forward your confidential views and suggestions to us at .
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