The festive period is now behind us, but fresh in our memory. Did you have the experience of the anticipation of being given an enormous present by a loved one on Christmas morning, only to open it and find that it is not what you hoped for, or worse, that it was completely empty?
That is what the past few months of dealing with Serco on your behalf have been like as we continue to try to reach an Enterprise Agreement that recognises the challenges of your work.
In the latter half of 2021, Serco informally floated a proposal that it thought may break the impasse. The proposal was to create a new classification of CO3, which would recognise experience with a higher rate of pay and in doing so, address Serco’s problems with retention of staff. This suggestion held some appeal, and your union met with Serco management on 10 November 2021 with some hope.
What was tabled at that meeting, and then finally subsequently provided in writing a month later on 7 December 2021 fell well short of the mark, much like that present.
The proposed CO3 was not an automatic classification like the others, but would be considered on application by the company. It had convoluted prerequisites, which not all employees could meet. And finally, the new pay grade was paltry – $28.00… a mere 45 cents an hour higher than what Serco had already proposed for the C02 role post September 2022.
These issues, combined with the inadequate leave provisions (still), which are well below that granted to your equivalents in other Serco-operated sites, the lack of allowances for specialised roles and some other issues meant that the new offer was not something that we could in good conscience recommend you accept.
We communicated this by email to Serco in December and proposed to meet this week, but Serco was unavailable.
We have subsequently written to Serco again trying to get them back to the bargaining table to resolve these issues. You can read our letter HERE.
And the centre struggles while Serco fiddles……
One of the obvious consequences of uncompetitive wages at the centre, which makes Serco’s inaction in enterprise bargaining even more infuriating, is a worker shortage.
We have heard the reports from many of you about chronic short-staffing particularly over the break.
You have witnessed first-hand many of your colleagues leaving for other employment and the inability for recruitment to fill their positions.
While we cannot control Serco’s mismanagement of recruitment and retention of its employees, we can make sure your safety at work is not jeopardised as a result.
We are approaching Serco to ensure that shutdowns of operations are undertaken where there is a staff shortage and no-one’s well-being is at risk due to insufficient officers being available on a shift.
Where you have examples of this occurring, please make sure we know, either through the Members Support Centre on 1300 772 679 or via email at .
Serco created this problem, it is not your to solve. Instead the company has a legal obligation to ensure you are safe at work. Together, let’s make sure this obligation is met.
Staff departures have also hit the CPSU NSW Delegate ranks. We have been sadly informed that one of your colleagues Tyson Franke is another leaving soon. Tyson has been an incredible union Delegate in his time at Clarence, and a strong supporter of you all. Many of you would not be aware of how tirelessly he has made sure your interests are represented and heard, and on behalf of your union, we wanted to extend our thanks and wish him the best with his future career.
This leaves some large boots to fill. If you are interested in becoming a Delegate or want to know more please drop us a line at . It is a personally rewarding role, being part of a solution rather than just experiencing the problem. Training and leave are all provided.
