We’ve had  an enormous amount of feedback to the FSU on the CBA offer over the last two weeks. Whether you filled in a form after a conversation with your rep, talked to a phone organiser from the union office or filled in an online survey- we heard you loud and clear.

We got feedback from more than 1000 FSU members from around the country. That’s an amazing result in such a short time. That kind of member activity is exactly what we need to build a strong powerful union in CBA.

CBA had offered 3.5% for staff rated “Valued Contributor” and above, 2.0% for staff rated “Requires Development” and no increase for staff rated “Unsatisfactory”. They also wanted minimum rates to move by just 2.0% over the life of the agreement which would mean a real pay cut for nearly 2500 employees.

More than 80% of you who responded weren’t happy with the CBA offer. And why would you be happy with it? CBA are raking it in. They reported a record half year profit of $3.62 billion or nearly $70,000 profit per CBA employee in just six months. They are on track to break records with their full year profit when it is announced in a few weeks time.

CBA have talked about senior executives taking a pay freeze to try and convince you to accept a lower increase. They’ve talked about it in the media this week. But the only commitment they’ve made is about their base remuneration and base remuneration only makes up a small portion of executive pay. CBA have made no commitments on bonuses. When executives exercised “wage restraint” in 2010, total remuneration paid to senior executives went up by 46% in 2011. That was the same year the board voted to pay executives their bonuses even though they failed to achieve their performance criteria.

To top it off, while CBA were trying to justify their 3.5% offer at the bargaining table by saying that the economic situation is gloomy and that business will be slower, they actually increased targets for frontline staff for this year. It just doesn’t make sense and you told us you don’t buy it.

We can’t say with certainty what will happen next in negotiations, because a lot depends on what the CBA decide to do. What we can say is that the CBA have been told clearly that their pay offer is not acceptable to the FSU and our members. We can guarantee that we will not support or agree to any pay offer that the vast majority of FSU members think is unacceptable.

Our ability to get the pay and conditions that you deserve depends on building a strong powerful union of CBA employees. You can help by doing simple things like talking to your colleagues about joining the FSU or by stepping up to be a contact or an FSU workplace representative for your workplace. The FSU has training programs and staff to give you the skills and confidence to make a difference. To get more involved, give the FSU Member Rights Centre a call on 1300 366 378.