Combined unions and Endeavour management met last week (24/11) in an interest based session facilitated by Commissioner Cribb.

The agenda for the meeting included – Superannuation, Maturing Allowance, Shift work/Project Arrangements and Individual Flexibility Arrangements (IFAs).

As is the way at the beginning of interest based bargaining, the intention wasn’t to land agreement of any kind on the agenda items, rather, it presents an opportunity for the parties to lay out their interests and then brainstorm ideas as to how to meet those interests in a way that meets the needs of all concerned.

To this end, last week’s meeting was quite productive, especially when it came to discussions on the Maturing Allowance and Shift work/Project Arrangements.

With regards to IFAs, it is a mutual interest that the scope of such agreements are expanded so as to make them more attractive to employees. That said, it is not the intention to expand the scope in a way that leaves workers effectively worse off – the union principles of IFAs will remain intact through any expansion of scope.

The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, 1 December with the proposed agenda being – Maturing Allowance, Shift work/Project Arrangements and Redundancy/Salary Maintenance.

DELEGATES
We would again like to remind people that workplace delegates play a vital role in allowing the broader “union” to represent its members effectively. We urge anyone who is interested in taking on this role and participating in the training that comes with it to get in touch with their relevant organiser.

If you or someone you know isn’t a member of our union, please complete the attached membership form or join online at www.usu.org.au/join.

Members who refer others for membership will be eligible for a payment of $50 per member joined. Claim forms for those who refer members are available from your organiser, or by calling our Membership Support Centre on 1300 136 604.

Need help?
If you have any questions about the role of a work place delegate, please don’t hesitate to contact your delegate/s or Troy Dunne, USU Energy Sector Organiser, on 0419 403 076 and tdunne@usu.org.au