Thursday, 6 May 2021
The Benevolent Society to put Agreement out to vote
PDF version
The Benevolent Society (TBS) will be asking you to vote on an Enterprise Agreement soon. You will receive communication from TBS today, 6 May 2021, with the final Agreement for you to review.
The Enterprise Agreement will replace the Copied State Award.
The CPSU NSW has been fighting to retain transferred employees’ conditions of employment. Your union has secured:
- the maintenance of transferred employees’ salaries
- a pay rise of two per cent a year, year on year for the life of the Agreement
- ability to continue contributing to SAS super fund
- increase in salary if transferred employees elect to go to a 38-hour work week.
- 10 days’ paid domestic violence leave
- extra public holiday during the Christmas/New Year period
- flexibility in hours which can enable employees to condense their hours similar to flex leave
- paid parental leave extended to males.
What does it mean?
It is important you read and understand what effect the Enterprise Agreement will have on your conditions of employment. You can view a draft copy HERE.
A summary of the impacts of the Agreement are below:
- Transferred employees can elect to go to a 38-hour work week. An election to increase to 38 hours work week will mean:
- payment for the extra three hours
- pay increase of two per cent year on year for the life of the agreement
- access to an ADO
- from the date of moving to a 38-hour work week the employee’s leave will commence accruing at a 38-hour work week
- TBS will not adjust the leave accruals prior to moving to a 38-hour work week. However, the monetary value of the leave will remain the same.
- If a transferred employee remains on a 35-hour work week:
- retain your current salary with pay increases year on year for the life of the agreement
- they will be classified as part time and will not have access to an ADO. If they wish to have flexibility in their hours they can utilise provisions in the Agreement
- leave entitlements will accrue on the basis of a 35-hour work week.
- Extended leave will be converted at the employee’s current accrual to long service leave, and will accrue from that point at the long service leave rate. The accelerated rate which extended leave accrues after your first 10 years of service will not continue.
- Span of hours is expanding: Monday-Sunday, 6:00am-8:00pm.
- Sick leave will accrue at 10 days a year.
- Ten days’ paid domestic violence leave.
- Paid parental leave of nine weeks, which is reduced from 14 weeks. However, it is extended to both males and females.
As this is your Agreement, we would like to hear from members. Click HERE to fill in the survey to tell the CPSU NSW your views.
Who can vote?
Everyone who will be covered by the agreement is eligible to vote but voting is not compulsory.
- For the Enterprise Agreement to be made it requires 50 per cent plus one of staff who vote to vote YES. Until a new Agreement is made your wages and conditions stay the same.
Who is in charge of the process? Will management know if I don’t vote “yes”?
An independent company is in charge of the voting process. It collects the votes and advises TBS and the CPSU NSW of the result. It does not announce who voted or which way individuals have voted.
How to vote
You will receive notification from TBS that you are able to vote for the proposed Enterprise Agreement. You will only have a short period of time to do this.
Remember There is strength in numbers – the new Agreement must be made with a majority of votes.
Be active VOTE for your pay and conditions at work.
Join the CPSU NSW today at www.cpsunsw.org.au/join.
