As you will be aware, Endeavour Energy presented the combined unions – including your USU Negotiating team pictured above – with their pay offer to be contained in a new Enterprise Agreement (‘EA’).

The offer is as follows:

  • An 18 month Agreement, with an expiry in October 2022;
  • A 1.2% wage increase to apply from the time the EA starts, backdated to December 2021 if agreement is reached by March 2021. At the time of writing, we’re already at 25 March;
  • A profit share payment, based on 1% of your salary, in October ’21 if performance targets are met;
  • A further 0.8% increase to wages in December ’21;
  • A further profit share payment in October of ’22; and
  • A wage increase of 0.3% wage increase in October of ’22, backdated to December ’21 if FY22 OPEX targets are achieved.
  • Additionally, the business has proposed to pay the legislated increase to the Superannuation Guarantee as a cash bonus (subject to tax & superannuation) at the end of FY22 if this year’s currently legislated increase is deferred by the Federal Government.

Before we advise of the combined union position on the salary increase, we can advise that Endeavour have agreed to the following claims:

  • PM&S staff will attract overtime payments during declared events;
  • Superannuation will be paid during periods of Paid Parental Leave; and
  • An increase of $15 per night shift to give greater differentiation between afternoon & night shift.

With regards to the pay offer, at a meeting of combined union delegates held on 24 March, your negotiating team was instructed to REJECT the pay offer.  Reasons include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Only 2% of the offer is guaranteed, the vast majority of it is incentive based;
  • To ask for agreement by the end of this month whilst items remain outstanding is fundamentally unfair and designed to pressure a decision without reasonable consideration;
  • That the Agreement term is only 18 months takes you out of EA cycle with TransGrid & Ausgrid. To fall out of this cycle will adversely impact your negotiating position when it comes time to renew; and
  • The increase falls well below increases being offered at generators & other distributors;

In addition to the above points, we remind members that Endeavour are seeking to:

  • Offer LOWER long service leave benefits to new employees, creating a two tiered workforce;
  • Endeavour are yet to advise as to whether they still wish to narrow the scope of your dispute resolution procedure to items contained only in the Agreement. Such a position SEVERELY impacts on your ability to seek recourse in the event of a dispute; and
  • Their current proposal on consultation has an adverse effect on your rights to be consulted in the event of changes.

We accept that the offer they’ve tabled is very cleverly structured, however, that’s all it is: cleverly structured to skim over the devil in the detail.  We advise you that the negotiating team will meet with Endeavour next Wednesday and advise them that their offer has been rejected.

If you have any questions and this email or require any assistance at work, please contact Troy Dunne on 0419 403 076 or via email at tdunne@usu.org.au.