Northern Grampians enterprise agreement update

The ASU bargaining team met with management yesterday, where the bargaining parties discussed the log of claims. 

The ASU is represented by your ASU lead organiser Zoe Edwards and ASU organiser Georgia Birch alongside your delegates, Benjamin Medlyn, Cobi Koenen, Kym Ryan, Mitch Tyler, Sharon Shepherd and Tracy Gavagan. Other unions are also represented at the bargaining table.

The ASU has strongly advocated for a fair pay increase of 8% or $98 per week for a two-year agreement.

We have also put claims for:

• Extension of employees' entitlement to, and duration of, parental leave
• Care entitlements 
• Introduction of a heat policy 
• On call allowances for the Christmas and Easter period
• Optional 4-day work week
• Enforcement and implementation of phone allowance policy and procedure
• Increase in access and allowance for uniform and more

Management has provided preliminary responses to ASU claims. Management’s current position is council cannot afford wage increases beyond 3%. We consider this is not reflective of the cost-of-living increases and other external factors.

We encourage members to continue to have conversations within your workplace regarding these issues to ensure we have a strong force behind the fight for a fair and equal outcome. This is early days in bargaining, there is a long way to go and lots of detail still to work through.

The ASU will be holding member meetings to discuss the claims and what members can do to improve council’s wage offer shortly.