As CPSU NSW members may be aware, Aruma and the other unions have been in bargaining since October 2022 for a new Enterprise Agreement.
On 13 January 2026, Aruma announced to staff it was starting the mandatory seven-day access period and circulated to staff a draft Enterprise Agreement to vote on. A ballot on the proposed Agreement will be held between 22 and 28 January 2026.
In its message to staff, Aruma says:
“The goal is to have one updated enterprise agreement for frontline managers and staff in QLD, NSW and ACT. “
What Aruma hasn’t said is that its primary goal is to slash $5.1 million dollars directly out of its workers’ pockets through reductions in wages.
For CPSU NSW members who transferred to the House With No Steps as part of the NSW Liberal Government’s privatisation and have had a wage freeze for almost five years, this is an unfair proposal because it will see a massive reduction in take-home pays during a rampant cost-of-living crisis.
Aruma also says it has:
“… engaged with its union partners (the Australian Services Union, The Services Union and Community and Public Sector Union) in good-faith on the proposed enterprise agreement (EA) since October 2022.”
The draft agreement was circulated by Aruma without consultation on timeframes and staff communications around the process.
With some staff still on leave, Aruma was asked to defer the process for a week to ensure as many staff as possible could vote. Aruma said no.
Further, Aruma was requested to provide a summary document which details the differences between the existing and proposed new enterprise agreement. At the time of writing, CPSU NSW had not seen this summary document.
The summary document is crucial for staff to understand the practical changes of the proposed Enterprise Agreement they will be voting on. Delay in circulation of the summary document, along with other critical information, hampers workers in making an informed decision on how to vote.
An undeniable fact is that the proposed Enterprise Agreement will see wages and conditions at Aruma going backwards. Real life examples provided during bargaining meetings and based on current rosters indicated a massive $1000 per month cut to take home pay under the proposed enterprise agreement.
Aruma proposes to slash current entitlements:
These rates are based on NSW. Queensland will be hit harder with a bigger reduction in their penalty rates including cuts to weekend penalty rates.
On 14 January 2026, the CPSU NSW Aruma Delegates Council met to determine a position on how to vote for the new Aruma 2026 Enterprise Agreement.
Your CPSU NSW Delegates unanimously endorsed a NO vote as it’s clear that your pay and conditions will NOT BE AS GOOD as the existing House With No Steps Enterprise Agreement.
For the new Enterprise Agreement to be made it requires 50 per cent plus one of staff who vote, to vote yes.
Importantly, if more than 50 per cent of voters Vote NO, then the agreement will not be able to be made and Aruma will need to continue to bargain with CPSU NSW and the other bargaining stakeholders.
With Aruma intending to cut sleepover allowances and penalty rates, CPSU NSW is calling for all members to vote NO when balloting commences.
Absolutely not. You have a right to exercise your vote in a confidential manner and any statement to the effect that you will be punished for voting no is a clear breach of this right.
If you are told otherwise, please contact the CPSU NSW as a matter of urgency.
Every Aruma employee who will be covered by the proposed Agreement is eligible to vote. However, voting is not compulsory.
All CPSU NSW members are encouraged to actively participate in the ballot and to VOTE NO during the ballot period.
Your wages and conditions will stay the same until a new agreement is made which can only happen if the Fair Work Commission approves Aruma’s application for a new Enterprise Agreement.
The new proposed agreement will only come into effect if the majority of eligible employees who vote, vote for the agreement, and it is approved by the Fair Work Commission.
At this point, a NO vote will simply allow the union to force Aruma back to the table to see if we can negotiate a better enterprise agreement.
Time is critical – we have just two weeks to act!
This entire process will be wrapped up before you know it, so every conversation counts. Make it your priority to reach out to as many team members at your site as possible.
Remember: not everyone is a union member. Forward this email, print copies, and share them widely. Don’t stop there; talk to your colleagues in other houses too.
We need to spread the word loud and clear: the proposed Aruma enterprise agreement is a bad deal for all workers in the disability sector. It undermines fairness, respect, and the conditions we’ve fought hard to protect.
This is our moment to stand together. Let’s make sure every worker knows what’s at stake. Act now, because if we don’t, this deal will define our future.
