United magazine Winter 2016

DY TO PROTECT MEMBERS
FIGHTING FOR 5:
GRAEME KELLY AND THE MEMBERS AT
CANTERBURY COUNCIL TOOK TIME OUT
FROM JIM MONTEGUE’S FAREWELL BBQ TO
SUPPORT THE FIGHTING FOR 5 CAMPAIGN.
Members at (former)
Canterbury Council have 5 year
job protections - negotiated before
the proclamation to merge with
Bankstown Council. Bankstown
members are still on 3 year
protections - let’s fix this inequity.
Join the fight for 5 years job
protection for all!
While the protections under Section
354 of the Local Government Act apply
to all non Senior (award level) staff,
there will no doubt be attempts by
some Council Managers and HR to
circumvent some of the protections for
some staff.
STRONG ADVOCATE BY YOUR SIDE
Union members will have a strong
advocate to ensure that all Councils
comply with the protections for our
members, but who will stand up for
those who are not Union members?
It certainly will not be those
Management and/or Human Resources
staff, who may seek to circumvent
some of the protections.
JRO STAFF PROTECTED
The USU has also obtained Minister
Paul Toole’s support and commitment
to have the NSW Local Government
State Award apply to Staff who will
work for Joint Regional Organisations.
This is a huge win for our members,
as the creation of JRO’s could have
placed staff who are employed or
who are transferred to them from any
Council, under the very inferior Federal
Modern Award conditions.
For those members in amalgamated
Councils, we will be working with
your delegates to ensure that we
negotiate the best possible outcome
in eventually merging Salary Systems
and for our members to be given the
best opportunities to laterally transfer
into positions when new organisational
structures are created, and new
position descriptions are finalised.
There has never been a more relevant
time to be a member of the USU.
LET’S FACE THIS TOGETHER
Change is coming and it is best faced
as a strong and united collective, not
as an individual, lacking the knowledge
and support of a Union.
The USU has senior staff, including
the General Secretary Graeme Kelly
and other officials, who have been
through this process in 2004 and much
earlier.
We are confident that we are more
than ready to meet the challenges
ahead on behalf of our members.
PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON
TO ANY NON-MEMBERS BEFORE
IT’S TOO LATE.
IF YOUR COUNCIL HAS BEEN
AMALGAMATED OR EFFECTED
BY A BOUNDARY CHANGE:
Your pay will not change;
Your conditions will not
change;
You cannot be forcibly made
redundant for 3 years;
You will have first preference
in applying for new roles in
Council;
There are limits on Council’s
ability to change your work
location.
These are all protections that the
USU fought for, and won, for our
members in the Local Government
Act and the Local Government
(State) Award.
We are continuing this fight, and
have gained the support of the
Labor Party, Shooters Fishers and
Farmers Party, The Greens, and the
Christian Democratic Party in our
campaign to extend protections
against forced redundancy to 5
years for merged Councils.
* Some protections do not apply to employees on ‘senior staff contracts’
United Winter 2016 • 5