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We are voting NO to ART’s proposed Enterprise Agreement (EA).

Here are ten reasons for you to join us and vote NO.

1. ART’s EA proposal means a real wages pay cut

With CPI at 5.4% to the September quarter and expected to remain above 4% in 2024, ART’s proposal represents a real wages pay cut. Incentive changes also mean that some people are going to see less pay this year than they did last year. Check out our calculators here to see what this proposal means for you.

2. ART’s EA proposal means many of us are self-funding our own superannuation increase

QLOW2 and LOW3 people are contributing 1.75% of their superannuation increase from their take home pay. This is on top of the superannuation entitlements in the Agreement trailing many other industry superannuation funds.

3. ART has backflipped on our agreed flexibility clause

Back in February this year, we agreed on a flexibility clause with ART that would allow your team to determine a flexibility arrangement, and get help from the disputes resolution clause if you couldn’t reach agreement.

ART has now radically changed the flexibility clause to allow managers to impose their own flexibility arrangement on the team if the team does not agree.

4. ART’s EA proposal does not address understaffing and unpaid overtime

We know that in areas of ART there are huge amounts of overtime being worked – some of this is paid but some is not. We discussed this at length with ART and they refused to include a decent staffing clause which actually addresses the issue.

What they have done is say that Group A people only get flex when they work up to 9 hours in a day, and even then, it’s only when your manager directs you to stay back. And for Group B, the first 1.5 hours you work each day on top of your normal working hours is unpaid and you get no flex.

5. ART’s EA proposal means people moving from Group A to Group B are (even more) worse off

If you’re moving from Group A to Group B, you receive no incentive transition top up. ART reckons you’re compensated for this because you get access to the higher incentive scheme, but of course that’s totally at ART’s discretion.

You’re also losing access to flex, and could see yourself working 1.5 hours extra every day for no additional pay for flex. You also have no access to entitlements like RDOs and meal allowances.

6. ART’s EA proposal gives you no choice and control when things change

We know that things are changing at ART – it’s inevitable after a big merge. We told ART that you need choice and control when things change. Instead, ART included a consultation clause modelled on the legal bare minimum. If your role is made redundant, you do not have the option to choose to be retrenched.

7. ART’s EA proposal doesn’t fix the huge pay disparities between people doing the same job

There needs to be a Fund-wide pay review to make sure people doing similar jobs are paid in similar ways. We fought hard for a right for you to have your pay reviewed, but ART will do the review against whatever criteria they decide.

8. ART’s EA proposal makes it hard to know what’s true

We’ve heard claims from the Fund about how the flexibility clause hasn’t changed (WRONG), that ART is fully funding the super increase for all (WRONG) and that managers will provide flex to all if you’re working more than your paid hours (WRONG).

How can we trust them when they are giving us information that is just not accurate?

9. ART’s EA proposal is missing essential and leading entitlements

ART talks about this being a leading Enterprise Agreement, but it’s missing essential entitlements that our colleagues at other funds have.

People at Cbus receive 12 days a year of menstruation and menopause leave, people at Spirit Super have access to unlimited sick leave, and people at UniSuper and Cbus can access 17% superannuation.

These are just a few of the leading entitlements you’re missing out on at ART.

10. Voting NO to ART’s EA proposal is our one way to send ART back to the table to make them do better

ART’s proposal will only become our Enterprise Agreement if a majority of us vote for it. If we vote NO, we are sending a powerful message to ART that they need to come back to the negotiating table and do better.

And we know from our colleagues who voted NO at NAB, the Bank of Queensland and RACQ (just to name a few) that they won much better deals after voting NO.

Click here NOW to commit to join us in voting NO at ART to win a better deal.

Need more information?

1. Join us at our information sessions – we are holding sessions throughout the week, choose the session that suits you best and register here to attend.
2. Book in for a one-on-one – click here to book in for a 20 minute chat with the FSU industrial experts who can give you tailored advice on what the EA means for you.
3. Click here to access our resources on the ART’s Enterprise Agreement proposal including calculators, an annotated EA and more.
4. Reply to this email and we’ll be in touch.

The most important thing you can do is share this update with your colleagues. Let’s make sure that when we start voting on Friday, everyone at ART is casting an informed vote.

Your FSU Reps