You would be aware that your employer the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) have commenced enterprise bargaining towards a new enterprise agreement which will contain your working conditions.
For CPSU members employed in South Australia, Tasmania or Victoria, this agreement, when made, will replace your current agreement, the NHVR Administration and Professionals Enterprise Agreement 2020-2024.
For CPSU members who are employed in New South Wales, this agreement, when made, will replace your current Copied State Instrument the Roads and Maritime Services Consolidated Salaries Award 2019.
Bargaining representatives met for the first time two weeks ago in Brisbane and again yesterday. Employees were represented by either the CPSU delegation, another regional union, or by one of a dearth of individual bargaining representatives.
Individual bargaining representatives can nominate to represent themselves or their colleagues. We currently have a disproportionately large number of individual nominees – some 30 odd – particularly from Head Office. These even include some sectional managers who are purporting to represent their team – a traditionally unworkable situation on account of the power dynamic.
Equally absurd is the decision by NHVR to engage an outside consultant for the bargaining process, initially describing him as a facilitator but later as their “lead negotiator”.
Essentially NHVR with all its financial resources and significant employee relations are admitting they do not have either the capacity or the appetite to negotiate directly with their own employees.
It’s not technically unlawful, but it is embarrassing and in the CPSU’s experience, unprecedented.
The division who are meant to be experts in making sure you perform in your own roles need help to do their own job.
We have held preliminary discussions regarding the proposed term of the agreement (possibly three years), how the meetings will be conducted with such a large group, and who will fall within the agreement when it is made. All bargaining representatives, including your employer, are now required to produce a log of claims by our next meeting in a month – essentially a document outlining what they intend to seek during bargaining.
Finally, a word of caution moving forward. The NHVR will be circulating communications about the process regularly over the next few months. CPSU members need to be aware that these communications will be the NHVR’s opinion on how bargaining is progressing, and not necessarily shared by everyone including your Union.
The best way to keep informed of what is happening is to speak with your local CPSU delegate or failing that, one of the CPSU enterprise bargaining team below.
Know someone who isn’t a member? There has never been a more important time to be part of one collective voice!
For NSW employees visit : www.psa.asn.au/join/
For Tasmanian employees visit: https://www.cpsu.com.au/join/
For Victorian employees visit: https://www.cpsuvic.org/join/
For SA employees visit: https://psaofsa.asn.au/join-now
