WaterNews Issue 1 2011 - ASU NSW

NSW MARITIME
ASU members at NSW Maritime have endorsed a new
Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, concluding nearly twelve
months of negotiation and securing several significant
victories for the membership, without having to trade-off
conditions.
The new Agreement, which is scheduled to be ratified by
the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission on
The success of this campaign can be directly attributed to a united
and active union membership and the incredible dedication and
hard work of ASU delegates on the ground.
Members endorse new
Enterprise Agreement
• New “Purchased Leave” provision;
• Increased union delegate representation on Maritime
Consultative Committee and new provisions for regionally
based union delegates;
Union Delegates organised a mass meeting on February 25
to discuss the (then draft) document and pass a resolution.
The union meeting had representatives from the ASU, MUA,
AMOU and AIMPE present and almost all of the feedback
was very positive. The meeting passed a unanimous resolution
to accept the offer and endorse the new Enterprise
Agreement.
WATER TEAM
Long-term Water member
joins ASU as Organiser
After 33 years with Sydney water , including 17 years as a
Union Delegate, Mick Woods has resigned and joined the
ASU as an Organiser.
ASU Secretary Sally McManus said that having a long- term
delegate like Mick step up and take on the challenge of
being an Organiser is a fantastic thing for the members and
the Union as a whole.
IT’S GREAT TO GET ONE OF OUR OWN
“There is nothing better for a Union when one of its
members steps up like this. All the experience and all the
knowledge Mick has gained from over 30 years at Sydney
Water can now be used, full-time, for the members”.
Mick has seen drastic reductions in the size of
the workforce in Sewerage Maintenance on
the south coast where he worked – dropping
from 200 to 28 men, mainly because of the
contracting out of work.
March 10, secures a 12 per cent pay rise for all workers (to
be delivered at 4 per cent per year) and will be back dated
to July 1, 2010.
Other important wins include:
• Improved sick leave provisions – including guaranteed
special Sick Leave for long term or serious illness;
• Better process for Time In Lieu accrual and payments;
• Fairer Annual Leave accrual for part-time employees (all
additional hours will now be counted for Annual Leave up
to a Full-Time Equivalent)
• Allowances to be increased (including Gym Allowance
and Child Care subsidy);
• Child care assistance is extended to a per child basis
(rather than per employee);
Parental Leave
Sydney Water tries to wind
back the clock
WE AIM TO KEEP WHAT WE WON
The ASU won a great victory in our last Sydney Water Enterprise
Agreement, an increase to 18 weeks paid maternity leave for
new mums and an increase to 6 weeks leave for the partners of
new mums. This means that new dads and partners could have
6 weeks off when their baby was born, along with the babies
mum.
IT’S IMPORTANT FOR BOTH PARENTS TO BE AROUND
The first 6 weeks is one of the most important times in a babies
life, the mother is still recovering from birth, particularly if they
have had a caesarean or other surgery, and the family is getting
used to having a new little person around. There is housework
to be done, a lot more washing and a lot less sleep. Having that
time at home with a new baby allows a new dad to connect with
their kid and learn how to help look after it. A new study from
The success of this campaign can be directly attributed to
a united and active union membership and the incredible
dedication and hard work of ASU delegates on the
ground. Strong communication kept members up to date
with the progress of negotiations and was vital in keeping
the pressure on management. ASU delegates Warrick Scott,
Leslie Brix-Nielsen, Kate Stanton, Amanda Jones and Bahram
Abedi did a fantastic job representing member’s views in the
negotiation, holding management to account and keeping
everyone in the loop.
This campaign demonstrates that when members have a
clear strategy and are united behind a common goal, we can
achieve significant wins.
Newcastle University has shown that having both parents
around at this time is important in a child’s development.
This new right is even more important at Sydney Water
as its workforce is almost seventy five percent men. It
is astounding then that Sydney Water have applied to
Fair Work Australia for these rights to stripped away and
the old rates of leave to be reinstated (14 weeks for new
mums and only 1 week for dads). They are directly attacking
the rights of new dads and partners to spend time at
home with their children.
The ASU has had multiple meetings with Sydney Water,
trying to come to some agreement, or compromise that
would mean these important new rights are maintained,
but they have refused every time. The case is to be held
over the coming months at Fair Work Australia. Sydney
Water have said that they will pay the new rates until the
case has been determined, so make sure you get what
you are entitled to. The ASU will be fighting this all the
way to keep hard won rights and conditions in our Enterprise
Agreement.
“I’m really excited about the new job,” said Mick, “I know
the challenges that face us and I want to defend what those
members before us have fought for. I can’t wait to get into
it, I’m totally committed to the Union and the members and
working towards our goals”.
JOB SECURITY & MAINTAINING CONDITIONS ARE
THE PRIORITY
Mick sees the greatest issues facing Water members is
the uncertainty surrounding the future of their jobs and
maintaining current levels of pay and conditions. Mick has
seen drastic reductions in the size of the workforce in Water
& Sewerage Maintenance on the south coast where he
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Mick Woods and Stuart Hatter with members at Potts Hill
worked – dropping from 200 to 28 men, mainly because of
the contracting out of work.
Find out more at
www.unionshopper.com.au/feesrefund
STUART HATTER MOVES ON
Mick is replacing Stuart Hatter who is moving on to new
challenges after five years with the ASU. On behalf of all
Sydney Water members, we thank Stuart for his tireless work
supporting ASU members and delegates over the years and
wish him well for the future.
Big Savings for Union Members
WATERNEWS WWW.ASUMEMEBRS.ORG. Authorised By Sally McManus, Branch Secretary, Australian Services Union NSW & ACT (Services) Branch
WATERNEWS WWW.ASUMEMEBRS.ORG. Authorised By Sally McManus, Branch Secretary, Australian Services Union NSW & ACT (Services) Branch
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