To ease the operational burden of Enterprise Agreement negotiations in what has been a very difficult year, your delegates have proposed to management a 1 year roll over of your Enterprise Agreement with a 3% pay increase from January 1 2021.
Management responded in the first instance with a 0% offer citing the financial impact of Covid 19 on the business and falsely claiming that Teacher Health Clients would only be receiving a 0.3% increase in 2020 due to a wage decision by the IRC earlier this year. This is not true. NSW teachers have an existing agreement that is not a part of the 2020 Wage case decision.
The Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2020 provides for a 2.5% increase to all salaries and allowances from 1 Jan 2020 and an additional 2.28% increase to all salaries and allowances from 1 Jan 2021.
In addition it is worth noting that your agreement falls in the Federal Jurisdiction of the Fair Work Commission (FWC). On 1 July 2020 the FWC announced a 1.75% increase to the minimum wage. In practice this increase is generally applied as a minimum base for all other federal awards and agreements.
What we have asked for?
- A rollover for 12 months with the only change being a 3% increase in salary
Why we have asked for 3%?
- In the last year alone, on top of business as usual we have/will have;
- Dealt with 3 rate rise cycles in a year (April 2020, October 2020 & April 2021)
- Dealt with fallout from Healthscope contract negotiations
- Dealt with new Mobile app fallout
- Dealt with denying members of Covid suspensions and downgrades
- Dealt with the privacy breach requiring staff to contact around 1000 members
Why do we think 3% is NOT unreasonable?
- The company took away our performance & sales bonuses without notice. By the end of 2021 most staff will be at least 4% worse off because of these changes
- The company just made a 33% increase in profits this financial year to almost 24.5 MILLION
What have Teachers Health offered to you?
- 1%
What is the reasoning Teachers Health provided for the offer?
- Teachers in NSW are only getting a 0.3% increase
- The usual uncertain headwinds ahead (this one being the exact same reasoning for last 4 EBA negotiations)
- Concerned economic shrinkage ahead although all signs seem to be showing a decrease in unemployment and economic recovery
- COVID 19 pandemic to which there is talk of a vaccine being available from March 2021.