FSU members at Cbus have just secured an industry leading Enterprise Agreement that includes significant protections around artificial intelligence (AI) – the first of its kind for any finance employer in Australia.
Of note, the agreement contains a definition of what AI is, as well as a clause stipulating that Cbus must consult with staff on any changes happening as a result of AI and how they may impact staff. There is also an extra five days of consultation time if a role is impacted by AI.
These may seem like common-sense additions, and they are. But in a world where AI is rapidly changing the way we work, they’re also game-changers for making employers accountable for the ways they incorporate AI into workplaces.
FSU Workplace Representative at Cbus Caroline Troup said having something as simple as an agreed definition of AI will help remove some of the fear and uncertainty staff have about this new technology.
“As someone who doesn’t know a lot about AI, having this definition educated me and gave me an idea of what it is,” said Caroline.
“The new clauses also put responsibility on the organisation to make sure staff know what’s going on with AI.
“It gives us some assurances as employees that it’s not necessarily going to be used as a way to save money, and it guarantees that Cbus actually has to talk to us first if they’re looking to introduce any software that has AI in it.”
In other words, staff must be part of any changes that affect them.
Consultation is hardly a revolutionary idea – which is why the FSU hopes other employers will look to this agreement as the gold standard and implement their own AI clauses to ensure its use is appropriately managed for everyone’s benefit.
FSU Workplace Representative and Head of Technology and Data Risk at Cbus Bill Rue said both employers and employees stood to benefit from AI, but proper consultation was key to ensuring staff understood exactly how the technology would impact their jobs.
“For example, one of our teams reported that they were initially concerned that AI would take our jobs,” said Bill.
“But when we got into it and started experimenting, we realised it’s actually going to help us do our jobs better and smarter.
“Those people are now coming to us and saying, ‘Hey, it would be really cool if we could do it like this, or we could get more out of it if we did it like that’.
“So by having that consultation, it’s like the difference between one person’s thought versus a community’s thought where you get the benefit for all. And if there are concerns, it ensures we address them early.”
Even though we may not know where AI will be in a few years’ time, the clauses themselves put a framework around how changes are managed, which Bill said was essential for ensuring employers implement changes in an ethical way that doesn’t leave workers behind.
“People have been hired into their roles before this technology came about, so how do we make sure our people are represented and protected in a way where they can understand how AI might impact them and where we might get benefit out of AI.
“It was about ensuring we put the protections in place to demonstrate we’ve thought about it and we’re approaching it responsibly.”
Member participation and open communication amongst staff was key to getting this agreement over the line, according to Caroline.
“We had a lot of staff who had never gone through enterprise bargaining before, so a big part of what I did was educate them about the process and how we all needed to get involved,” said Caroline.
“There was a lot of fear and concern about speaking up, but I think this process has helped address some of those fears because rather than being an inflammatory conversation, it was a neutral conversation about our pay and conditions, things that affect everyone at Cbus.
“So in addition to the terrific outcome, I think it’s also created a greater sense of worker community, which is great.”
The agreement, which was voted up by Cbus employees last week, also contains a 12.5% pay rise over three years, as well as a more flexible working from home arrangement.
“The two issues went hand-in-hand,” Caroline explained.
“The cost of living had increased so much that some people couldn’t afford to go into the office multiple days, so keeping that flexibility with a hybrid working arrangement was just as important as securing a decent pay rise.
“Without the backing of my fellow union members, we wouldn’t have had any movement on those two sticking points in negotiations.”
The agreement also includes five days of reproductive and pathways to parenthood leave, on top of the 12 days of paid menopause and menstruation leave achieved in the last EA.
A huge congratulations to Cbus members on this significant win, which paves the way for other workers in the finance sector!
Standing up to your manager about your workplace rights is never easy. But…
“One day they pulled me into the office and said, ‘You have been…
When FSU member Andrew Dickinson's employer suspended him and directed him to complete…
