TransGrid and the combined Unions met again on Thursday 4 April 2024 to negotiate following a conciliation conference in the Fair Work Commission. The Fair Work Commission conference was requested by TransGrid, and the company reported that they were unsure of the unions true position on claims and believed their position continued to maintain a level of ambit. The hearing went into private conference and discussions were had in relation to the parties’ outstanding claims and a possible way forward.
TransGrid and unions met again yesterday to progress negotiations with a refined offer from the combined. The combined Unions have several outstanding claims and are all in unison to ensure our positions are met without one union being played off against another.
The outstanding claims relate to pay and remuneration, income protection, working from home, contracting out and IFA/PIA’s.
The combined unions tabled a proposal of 6.5 per-cent per year for three years with 0.5 per cent going to super in years 2 and 3. TrasGrid’s counter offer is 5 per-cent in year 1 then 4 per-cent in years 2 and 3 with 0.5 per-cent super on years 2 and 3.
While TransGrid continue to try and resolve the income protection claim the company unwilling to move on any of the other claims.
At the end of the meeting TrasGrid representatives advised us they intend to arrange meetings directly with staff as they believe their offer is fair and reasonable and want to confirm this by way of meeting to discuss with staff.
The combined unions continue to negotiate the best possible outcome for its members and feels TransGrid can come to the table with a better offer. Members are suffering with high inflation and cost of living expenses. Wages are the main sticking point and we ask that members raise there concerns around cost of living and higher expenses within your household to ensure TransGrid knows how tough it is living in the real world.
Any members wanting to discuss negotiations please feel free to contact Newcastle Regional Organiser Ian Braithwaite on 0400 859 630 or
