In the latest news from the Sydney University CPSU NSW union branch, we cover:
Annual General Meeting
Sydney University CPSU NSW branch will be holding the Annual General Meeting to elect new delegates and branch committee members. The date of the meeting will be set in conjunction with the CPSU NSW head office. Once this has been done, we will advise all members – and we encourage interested members to nominate for delegate positions!
Pay increase coming
After almost 2 years spent negotiating the Enterprise Agreement, your CPSU NSW Bargaining Team secured a series of pay increases. The second of these, 3.75% (which followed a 4.6% rise in July last year) will hit the pay run of 25 July! We hope this will help to take some of the edge off the cost of living crush! You can also look forward to a 3.75% increase in July 2025 and a 4% increase in July 2026.
CPSU NSW Aboriginal Liaison Officer Meet and Greet
Recently, CPSU Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Ricky Walford (a Bundjalung and Kamilaroi man and ex-NRL star), made a visit to the University of Sydney to meet and greet members who identify as indigenous and discuss issues that may affect them. For First Nations members who would prefer to talk to Ricky directly rather than in a group or meeting environment, Ricky is happy to be contacted via email – – or phone: 0418 236 867.
If you know of a co-worker who identifies as indigenous and is not a member, please feel free to pass this information on to them.
Finally, a reminder that CPSU NSW is still on the look-out for a First-Nations representative on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Joint Consultative Committee, a consultation committee newly established under the current Enterprise Agreement.
This committee meets 4 times a year, runs parallel to the University Joint Consultative Committee and is designed to ensure that First Nations staff have a direct voice in developing University policy and responding to issues that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. Time release from your regular job is available for meeting preparation and for the meetings themselves. At the moment First Nations staff are represented on the committee by several NTEU members, and while it is a very useful start, the NTEU representatives are all academics. We’d love to see a professional staff representative, and we’re happy to provide support in preparation for, and at the meetings if desired, through either CPSU NSW Branch President Grant Wheeler, or through Ricky Walford.
Please let us know should you want further information on this.
Women’s Officer Report
Domestic Violence Leave
Just a reminder that University of Sydney staff are entitled to Family and Domestic Violence leave – Continuing and Fixed Term Staff (20 days paid leave per annum), and Casual Staff (10 days paid leave per annum).
Leave is granted for reasons such as :
This leave is not accessible in Workday for privacy reasons. The USYD Staff Health Support team can arrange to process the leave in Workday confidentially, or else, your manager can work with them. The reasons for the leave or support will not be discussed with anyone outside Human Resources or their direct manager unless there is a legal obligation to do so, or as agreed by the affected staff member for the purposes of providing support or security.
More information can be found on the staff intranet; in the Family and Domestic Violence Support Procedures; in the Enterprise Agreement; and via your union rep. If you do need support, please feel free to reach out to your union delegate.
Employment Conditions You May Not Know – Overtime
Schedule 4 Clause 25 of the current Enterprise Agreement states that:
“A staff member whose Salary does not exceed the maximum Salary for a Higher Education Officer Level 9 is entitled to overtime pay or, where a staff member chooses, time off in lieu of overtime pay.”
Note the underlined section above – it is a staff member’s choice as to whether they are compensated for overtime work via additional pay, or via time in lieu. Where you choose time in lieu, that time is calculated at the same rate as additional pay (see below for details on calculations).
A manager can’t make you take time in lieu in compensation for overtime if you would prefer overtime payment – please let us know if your manager tries to dictate which form of compensation you get!
Schedule 4 Clause 26:
Overtime payments and time off in lieu will be calculated as follows:
(a) Monday to Saturday: one and a half times the ordinary rate of pay (or hours
worked) for the first two hours and double time thereafter;
(b) Sunday: double time; and
(c) Public Holidays: two and a half times the ordinary rate of pay (or hours worked).
It should be noted that Management will not put any pressure on staff to work additional hours as flexitime in lieu of overtime (Schedule 4 Clause 13 of current EA).
It must also be noted that you must be instructed to work additional hours in order to qualify for overtime (Schedule 4 Clause 23 – Overtime is work that is performed at the direction of an authorised Supervisor… Working additional hours on a voluntary basis without specific instruction to do so may not qualify for overtime payments unless we can build a strong case that you had no choice!
Ruth Livingstone
Vice President
Lachlan Grant
Assistant Secretary
Holly Eades
Membership Registrar
Peter Adams
Work Health and Safety Officer
