INDEPENDENT EDUCATION UNION OF AUSTRALIA QUEENSLAND AND NORTHERN TERRITORY BRANCH ABN 74 662 601 045
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Monday, 19 March 2012
38 Woods Street DARWIN NT 0800 Tel: (08) 8981 1924 Fax: (08) 8981 1935
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CHAPTER BRIEFING No. 9 LUTHERAN SECTOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING Dear Colleagues
Lutheran Employers Slow Negotiations – Again Request for SBU Meeting Date Ignored – Again Colleagues In what has become a consistent pattern of behaviour, Lutheran Employer representatives have again failed to identify a meeting date for the SBU to reconvene. The Employer representative has also yet to provide any draft of their proposed boarding house provisions. At the same time, employees in at least one school are being encouraged to move to a vote on a clearly inadequate document with the suggestion that some provisions could not be put in place unless a ballot is held soon. An SBU meeting needs to be scheduled urgently to allow proper negotiation of outstanding matters rather than allow the process to drift with the employers either doing nothing for weeks at a time or then suddenly wanting a conclusion to negotiations. Background Lutheran Employer representatives had foreshadowed an SBU meeting in the week beginning 26 March. An email was received on Sunday, 11 March from the employers' industrial representative providing a revised draft after Principals finally conferred on their further position. The email also foreshadowed a face to face meeting of the SBU in the week beginning 26 March. A reply was forwarded later that day suggesting a teleconference meeting on 28 March, with a teleconference preferred because of the short notice. This was also especially the case as the employer had yet to draft boarding house provisions. One week later and one week from 26 March, no reply has been received - not even an acknowledgement.
Pressure on Employees to Finish Negotiations Employer representatives have taken over four (4) months to provide a redraft of their position. Against this background of procrastination, Employer representatives now want employees to have little opportunity to consider the employer redraft (notwithstanding its on-going deficiencies) and to go to a ballot. This is highly inappropriate behaviour and employees are rightly concerned that they are being denied a proper opportunity to negotiate further and to consider provisions not even tabled. The situation has been made worse by suggestions in at least one school that some provisions won't be able to be implemented unless a ballot is held soon. This is a nonsense. The matter of wages for example has effectively been agreed in principle and other items can be discussed in these terms and on the basis of in-principle agreement, the matters can be implemented. Member Response Chapters should maintain a steadfast view that it is inappropriate, against a background of employer procrastination and inaction, to now rush negotiations to a conclusion at the behest of employers. Where a timetable needs to be met to allow implementation of provisions these matters can be considered for in-principle approval. Outstanding matters, especially those employer positions yet to be tabled, should be subject of proper negotiation prior to any ballot. The resolutions forwarded in the previous Chapter Briefing should be considered if these have not been done so. We will continue to pursue the Employer representatives for a meeting date. We will keep you informed of developments. Kind regards
TERRY BURKE BRANCH SECRETARY