Queensland Police Union Journal

Southern Region Roundup
DARREN LEES
ENTERPRISE BARGAINING
Troops, as many of you are aware, our wage Determination is due to expire on 30 June. Earlier in the year,
your Executive and Industrial Relations team worked hard to put together a log of claims in readiness for
negotiations with the government and the QPS regarding your new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.
We sent out surveys, had our log of
claims determined by responses,
and were ready to go well before
the required time to commence
bargaining in good faith.
Our enterprise bargaining team
headed by our General President,
Senior Industrial Officer, and other
full time officials has been ready
to bargain in good faith with the
government and Service for months
now.
Prior to our log of claims being put
together, we were aware that the
government policy of wage increases
for public servants was a maximum
of 3% if it could be shown that there
were what is referred to as bankable
offsets (productivity gains for want of
a better term).
Our team put together a log of claims
based on that figure, and considering
what public servants from other
Unions (such as teachers and nurses)
had received.
It then came as somewhat of a
shock to receive a letter under the
hand of the Deputy Commissioner
for Workforce Reform (who
coincidentally used to be employed
as the QPU Media and Government
Relations Officer some years ago)
outlining that the government had
changed the goal posts.
The new wage policy was downgraded
to a maximum of 2.5% increase, if
bankable offsets could be identified.
Since then, our General President has
had meetings with the Police Minister
and Premier to try and rectify our
current negotiations. The Minister
would have you believe that the
government is keen to come to an
agreement and sort a wage increase
for all our members.
That meeting was some time ago now
and here we are still without proper
negotiations in good faith between
the QPS, LNP, and the QPU.
You really have to ask yourself
whether this whole process is
designed to be ‘an Enterprise
Bargaining Agreement’, or whether
it’s stunt where you get what you’re
told and are happy with it, or face the
firing squad if you’re not.
It goes even further than what I have
already explained to you, troops.
“The big term, ‘current financial status of
the state’, now has to be considered when
determining a pay increase.”
The QPS and government had the
audacity to ask our team to hand over
our log of claims when they did not
have their own. Their view was, ‘give
us a look at yours and we’ll tell you
what we can do for you’.
I would never propose to be the
best poker player the world has ever
seen, but I am pretty sure that if you
are playing a hand for considerable
amounts of money against an
opponent, and they ask to see your
hand prior to them deciding whether
to bet or not, then you would fall to
the ground laughing rather than flip
your hand to your opponent.
Also, the Industrial Relations
legislation has been changed to tie
one hand behind the back of the QIRC
Commissioners presiding over any
disputed wage case, so now they
have limited independence to make
decisions.
The big term, ‘current financial
status of the state’, now has to be
considered when determining a pay
increase.
Furthermore, the policy has changed
on the back-paying of wage increases
to the anniversary date of the new
agreement. For example, last time
your Union had a wage determination
was three years ago when we fought
long and hard against the then Bligh
ALP government and secured a 3.8%,
3.8%, and 3.5% pay increase.
The government at the time offered
a three year deal at 2.5% per annum.
While the argument over your pay
deal was being fought out in the
QIRC and arbitrated upon by the
full bench, the government agreed
to the QIRC’s decision to grant
Queensland Police Union Journal June 2013 7