QUEENSLAND INDEPENDENT EDUCATION UNION BRISBANE 346 TURBOT ST SPRING HILL Q 4000 P O BOX 418 FORTITUDE VALLEY
Phone: Fax: Freecall: Email: Internet:
07 3839 7020 07 3839 7021 1800 177937 enquiries@qieu.asn.au www.qieu.asn.au
ABN: 45 620 218 712
21 November 2008
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Anglican Schools Collective Bargaining 2008 Skilled and Professional You make the difference
CHAPTER BRIEFING No. 6
Workplace Authority puts hold on Collective Agreement Ballot but benefits to be provided to employees on completion of Motion of Acceptance Dear Colleagues Whilst negotiations for the multi-employer Collective Agreement have concluded, employer and employee representatives were dismayed to learn that approval from the Workplace Authority will not be provided for a ballot prior to the conclusion of the school year (due to a backlog of Agreements at the Workplace Authority). Process Multi-employer Collective Agreements are still subject to restrictions relating to the Howard Industrial Relations laws and require the approval of the Workplace Authority prior to a ballot of employees occurring. When this approval has been received, employees have 7 days to peruse the Agreement prior to the ballot process, with the result of the ballot being provided to the authority within 14 days of completion. Once the Agreement has been balloted, endorsed and received by the Workplace Authority, it is reviewed to meet the no disadvantage test and then approved. Workplace Authority Delay The Workplace Authority have notified the Single Bargaining Unit that they have a backlog of Agreements and do not anticipate approving the Anglican Agreement for ballot until early 2009. Both employee and employer representatives were anxious that the benefits of the Agreement would flow on to employees from 1 January 2009. To facilitate this, it was agreed at the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) that the SBU would seek preliminary acceptance of the terms of the Agreement before school commenced the Christmas vacation and, on preliminary acceptance, the employer has agreed to apply the wage increase and other benefits from 1 January 2009.
The Agreed Preliminary Acceptance Process The QIEU Staff Representative and Principal will convene a meeting of employees to explain the process and encourage employees to consider the benefits contained in the attached documents. Once these benefits are explained and staff have had time to consider them, employees should be invited to consider a motion of preliminary acceptance of the terms of the Agreement. This preliminary agreement in no way replaces the formal ballot that will occur early in Term One 2009. Action Required As all parties wish to see the benefits in the Agreement flow to employees as from 1 January 2009, it is necessary to seek some evidence of preliminary acceptance of the agreed positions. Both the Employer and Employee representatives to the SBU have endorsed this process which is outlined in the actions noted below. Actions now required of the school include: 1. Distribute the attached documentation to all school employees or at least make it available to all school employees; 2. In conjunction with the principal organise school meeting(s) to inform all school employees of the status of the IR agreement process and content of agreement as outlined in attachments to this communication; and 3. At school meeting(s) seek endorsement of an individual school motion of acceptance of the IR agreement outcomes as outlined in attachments. (QIEU has agreed that these meeting(s) should be open to ALL employees.) 4. Use the draft motion attached as the school’s motion of acceptance; and 5. Formally communicate the school’s results to the QIEU and ASC at the completion of the school meeting(s). These actions should be completed as soon as possible and certainly prior to school staff leaving for the Christmas break. It is suggested that the actions could be fully completed within 1 or 2 weeks (i.e. by 28 November or 5 December 2008). This will give time for initial explanation, time to peruse the applicable documents and then completion of the motion of preliminary acceptance. Meeting of the Anglican Schools Employee Network (ASEN) You will have received a notice of an urgent meeting of the ASEN for Monday 24 November 2008 at 4.15pm. This meeting will explain the above process in more detail and will also outline the employer’s response to the two issues outstanding: • Employees other than teachers’ wage increase; • Employer flexibility clause. I look forward to speaking to you on Monday. Kind Regards
CHRIS SEYMOUR OFFICER SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES IN ANGLICAN SCHOOLS