Last week, the CPSU NSW met with TAFE NSW to commence negotiations for your Enterprise Agreement (EA).
As you would be aware, the CPSU NSW surveyed all members extensively, and in doing so compiled a log of claims (LOC) based on what members said was most important to them.
At our first meeting, TAFE indicated that they would prefer a 12-month EA with a 2.53 per cent pay increase, plus an additional half a per cent superannuation. The basis of its position is that the NSW Wages Policy is in place, which regulates how much money TAFE can put on the table during bargaining.
Whereas the CPSU NSW is not inclined to accept a straight rollover, your bargaining team did indicate we would consider a 12-month EA as long as a number of conditions were met. These were:
There is logic to a 12-month EA in that, depending on the outcome of the state election, the NSW Wages Policy may no longer exist next year. In that case our EA negotiations will not be encumbered by a legislated restriction on the maximum pay increase that we are entitled to. However, this is only a viable option for the union if TAFE NSW accepts the claims that we have made in relation to flex time, involuntary redundancies and the sunset clause.
The CPSU NSW is meeting with TAFE again on Thursday, and so we will hear TAFE’s feedback in relation to our key claims above and report back to the membership.
In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the EA, please do not hesitate to contact our staff in the Nation Team on 1300 772 679.
United We Bargain, Dived We Beg!
