Last week, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) approved our application to hold a protected industrial action ballot (PAB). This means that the voting process is about to commence, so it is time to get ready to vote!
We have been advised by the voting agency that the vote will open on Saturday 3 September 2022 at 8:00am EST and will remain open until 14 September 2022.
You will receive communications from Vero Voting in relation to the vote on 2 September 2022, so make sure that you keep an eye out. On 3 September 2022, each member will receive a unique voting link that will take you directly to the site where you can cast your vote. The CPSU NSW is asking that all members select YES to every form of action available on the electronic ballot, so that we can take all forms of protected action available to us to secure a decent wage increase over the life of the Enterprise Agreement.
The CPSU NSW will be in contact later in the week in relation to the PAB vote. Remember, the vote is the first step – as soon as the vote is declared we will be in a position to strategically take various forms of protected industrial action as a group. It is important to know that only union members can take protected action, which means that if you are not a union member when action is taken then you cannot lawfully participate and be protected under the law.
As an aside, the CPSU NSW is aware of the ‘apples and apples’ comparison sent to all members last week in relation to the wage increase. It is, of course, quite ironic that you were encouraged to compare apples with apples by comparing a base rate to that of an aggregated one (which incorporates weekend and shift penalties). Some might even refer to this as comparing apples with oranges. At any rate, the base rate of Parklea Correctional Centre (when it is not aggregated) is just shy of $30 per hour, so it is difficult to understand how Serco reached the conclusion that your rate, if aggregated, would somehow be magically higher than the aggregated rates at Parklea Correctional Centre.
Comparing apples with apples would mean comparing the CLA base rate to that of the public system, where Correctional Officers get paid a whopping 10% more per annum to do the exact same job. The base rate of the lowest paid private prisons in Australia are still higher than CLA. At this point in time, Correctional Officers at CLA are the lowest paid in the country. We are fighting for a wage rate that reflects the job that you do. Your labour is being devalued by a multinational corporation who believes that you deserve to be paid an abysmal hourly rate whilst doing an incredibly difficult and dangerous job. It is time to change that. Vote YES to all questions in the PAB.
United We Bargain, Divided We Beg!
