On Tuesday night, FSU Members met via Zoom and voted to fight for an enterprise agreement that values employees, provides security and embeds fairness and transparency.
Employees approached Energy Super more than 18 months ago about commencing negotiations for an enterprise agreement. Negotiations began 6 months ago. FSU Members are now feeling frustrated by the apparent lack of progress towards an Enterprise Agreement at Energy Super and raised that the perceived lack of respect being shown by ESIFS to their legitimate claims only exacerbates their frustration.
In reporting back to members, the FSU negotiating team went through each of the employee claims tabled, claims initially developed through an all staff survey conducted prior to the commencement of negotiations. Members were made aware of the status of those claims and the elements that had been withdrawn or modified in negotiations to enable an agreement to be reached on the matters of most concern to members.
Key Points
Some of the key points made about the current ESIFS position and process were:
- ESIFS negotiators are not the decision makers resulting in a lengthy process to get to any in-principle agreement at the table on a variety of matters (most obvious one being the matter of Scope – now resolved);
- ESIFS tabled provision for parental leave brings this to a contemporary level including superannuation paid on paid parental leave and reinstates secondary carers leave;
- Employee claims ESIFS has indicated will not be agreed:
- purchased leave
- an increase to personal leave (a non-accrued component)
- the inclusion of the current “Christmas Bonus Days” as an entitlement
- the provision of an equitable and contemporary LSL accrual (13 weeks after 10 years which some employees currently enjoy)
- No agreement reached around Redundancy and Retrenchment provisions with a rejection of the employee claim for 3 weeks per year of service capped at 52 weeks (which is common across industry funds); and
- Although the remuneration process has been explained, there remains a lack of transparency on a number of its elements.
Next steps
Members endorsed the FSU negotiating positions and the negotiating team’s further requests for transparency around a number of the matters still under negotiation.
Data that the bargaining team needs will be gathered, in a non-identifiable manner, to support them at the negotiating table.
Members also agreed to meet again after 27 August (that being the next scheduled EA Bargaining Meeting).
Members are congratulated on their resolve to see a fair and equitable first enterprise agreement negotiated for Energy Super staff that is transparent and values the contribution of all staff. Make sure you invite your colleagues to be part of your union.