Another bargaining meeting was conducted on 14 June 2023. This bulletin provides an update on the main topics of discussion.
Your CPSU NSW bargaining representatives raised concerns about decision makers not being present during bargaining meetings. We have requested that Aruma’s Cs (CEO, CIO, CFO, CPO) attend periodically to participate firsthand in bargaining.
The CPSU NSW sought information on whether the recent Fair Work Commission increase of 5.75 per cent would be passed over to all staff, including our membership who currently enjoy higher pay rates than Aruma’s legacy staff.
Our aim at the CPSU NSW is to bring all employees up to the same pay scales as transferred staff to recognise the skills, dedication, and professionalism of the support Aruma employees provide to those residents they support in group homes.
Aruma CPSU NSW Industrial Officer Anthony Wright has spent the past three weeks travelling the state with your Regional Organisers, Shane Elliott (Illawarra and South) and Steven Mears (North and Western NSW). We made approximately 80 visits to Aruma group homes.
It was very clear that morale for MSLs is in a parlous state with many expressing work overload concerns, troubles with technology, a disconnect with back end systems requiring double and triple handling of work and the pressure faced due to a lack of staff on the floor requiring MSLs to back fill empty shifts. MSLs clearly expressed a rejection of Aruma’s desire to place them on common law contracts.
“Aruma says it values us; it needs to show us”
DSWs advise they too are facing pressure at work. DSWs are telling us that they have concerns around the increasing incidence of sleepovers as a business model, to address what appears to be reduced funding, particularly around the grossly insufficient 3.5-hour flat rate, the lack of a meaningful disturbance allowance, the lack of rigorous initial assessment re the appropriateness of the sleepover in the first instance and an agreed timeframe for review. DSWs on the whole view that these changes are detrimental to the interests of the participants they support.
Many legacy DSWs felt that their stalled incremental progression denies them a meaningful career and seem to be stalled at Level 2.4. In discussions, these DSWs felt that pursuing an incremental progression was viewed as an invitation by their managers to take their labour elsewhere.
DSWs we spoke to regarded the stalled classification structure as the real difference between the Enterprise Agreement wage and the higher ex-government wage and the push to limit progression failed to demonstrate that Aruma valued them as employees.
CPSU NSW bargaining representatives again restated that this round of bargaining should not lead to a race to the bottom and sought additional information around the recent Victorian Aruma Enterprise Agreement. The Aruma bargaining representatives indicated that there was no real nexus between the Victorian Enterprise Agreement and the NSW/Queensland bargaining round. Aruma management’s position was backed up by the ASU representatives.
The CPSU NSW will reserve its rights in advising members with respect to ongoing harmonisation across the Aruma workforce in the eastern states if management intends to lower wages and conditions.
Initially, the CPSU NSW sought a three-year Enterprise Agreement. This is currently under review with no final position being set. Further consultation with members will be required as the previous agreement has been left to stagnate since 2013 with neither party seeking to renew it in line with changes to modern disability support group homes as workplaces.
Aruma is in the process of costing the unions logs of claims. The CPSU NSW bargaining representatives have requested management provide a document for the next meeting which “traffic lights” the logs of claims items. This traffic lights document should indicate those log items which are mutually agreed, require further negotiation and contentious items which are unlikely to be agreed.
Members are invited to provide feedback directly to your Aruma bargaining representatives or delegates. Contact details follow.
Thane Pearce * Industrial Manager
Anthony Wright * Industrial Officer
Vivette Horrex Metro Organiser
Alex Sala Metro Organiser
Melanie Coombes Metro Organiser
* CPSU NSW Aruma Enterprise Agreement 2023 Bargaining Representative
Call the PSA CPSU NSW Member Support Centre on 1800 772 679 during office hours.
