News

Aware Super bargaining: CPSU members’ update

Bargaining – Nov 2020 (PDF version)

Your CPSU Bargaining Team has met with Aware Super representatives twice in relation to what Aware Super is proposing to be the next Enterprise Agreement for (some) employees.

Aware Super claims that moving most employees onto an enterprise agreement would have an ‘inflationary impact’ on the overall employee costs, and that this is not some-thing that Aware Super is prepared to do.

Management’s current proposal would see only a small group of former VicSuper employees and a small group of former First State Super employee be covered by their proposed Agreement.

They also propose to ‘grandparent’ a similar number of VicSuper employees so they would be personally covered by their proposed Agreement. This would have the Agreement applying to the person and not the position. Management’s proposal is that any replacement employee would not be covered by the Agreement and the employee cannot take their ‘grandparented’ status with them if they move jobs. They would only be covered by the Agreement if the new position is an Agreement covered position.

Your CPSU Bargaining Team has many concerns with this proposal, including:

• Different instruments applying to members of the same team;
• Lack of transparency around classifications and grading for employees and their immediate colleagues;
• Having some employees be able to legally enforce their entitlements, and their col-leagues doing the same or similar work, unable to enforce their entitlement;
• Being limited in career progression for any employee who wants the protection of an enterprise agreement

The CPSU has requested Aware Super provide copies of the financial modelling demonstrating that having more employees on an enterprise agreement would have an ‘inflationary effect’. It appears that one key feature Aware Super is concerned about is Annualised Salaries.

The employee bargaining representatives have collectively requested that Aware Su-per consider the following counter-proposals:

1. To have everyone in Aware Super covered by the enterprise agreement, except for the executive level of management;
2. To have everyone in Aware Super covered by the enterprise agreement, except for employees earning above the High Income Threshold. (This is the statutory limit for employees, who are not covered by an award or agreement, who can access un-fair dismissal. The High Income Threshold is indexed so it increases each year).
3. It was also requested that if either/both of these proposals are rejected by Aware Super, that they provide the financial modelling comparing these models and compared to what Aware Super first proposed.

Your CPSU Bargaining Team needs to hear from you!

The enterprise agreement sets out your enforceable salaries, pay rises and con-ditions of employment for the next 3 years, and it is your choice as to how this will look and who it will apply to.

Aware Super agreement coverage survey

Please click HERE to complete the quick survey and provide your feedback on which who should and shouldn’t be covered by the proposed agreement.

Modern award and annualised salaries

Click on this PDF for information about how the Banking, Finance and Insurance Award regulates annualised salaries. Important changes were made in March 2020 that you should know about.

Please forward this to colleagues who have not yet JOINED the CPSU, so they can find out what is being negotiated and how they could be impacted.

When you chat to a colleague who hasn’t yet joined, ask them to JOIN the CPSU today at www.cpsunsw.org.au/join.

It is through the collective strength of union members working together that excellent outcomes can be achieved to benefit all CPSU members at Aware Super.

CPSU New South Wales Branch

www.cpsunsw.org.au
1300 772 679
JOIN the CPSU at www.cpsunsw.org.au/join
Lisa Nelson

CPSU Federal Office

www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au
Blake Stephens

Your CPSU Bargaining Team at Aware Super

Jodie Haydon, Aware Super (NSW)
Roger Davidson, Aware Super (Vic)
Blake Stephens, CPSU Federal Office

Supported by state branch staff

Mandy Coulson, CPSU Victorian Branch
Lisa Nelson, CPSU NSW Branch