FSU members met this week to discuss Zurich’s initial proposal for our new Enterprise Agreement (EA). Members rejected Zurich’s proposed pay and conditions, saying it falls far short of offers provided by other industry employers and equates to a pay cut in real terms during this prolonged period of high inflation.
If you haven’t already, please provide your confidential feedback to Zurich on their proposal here.
Zurich’s offer is far short of acceptable
Some of the sub-standard aspects of the proposal that members rejected include:
- Guaranteed pay increases of just 3% in year one, 3% in year two, and 2.5% in year three. These would only apply to a minority of staff, and are far behind the current inflation level of 5.4%.
- Most employees will fall back on a performance-based pay arrangement, where any increase is uncertain and applied at the complete discretion of the company. This is counter to trends in other parts of the industry; many employers are moving away from performance-based pay systems.
- Senior Leadership Group employees would be removed from the scope of the Agreement, meaning their EA conditions would no longer be protected.
- NO to RDOs – RDO arrangements would not be provided to all staff and those of us who have access under the current EA would lose that right. Zurich propose to replace current access to RDOs with a leave purchasing arrangement that would rely on your manager’s approval.
- Span of hours would increase from 7pm to 9pm. Any employees who currently work beyond 7pm would no longer have access to overtime payments.
- NO to protecting work from home arrangements in the Agreement.
For further details on the pay and conditions under discussion click here.
The next few weeks will be critical
Our next meeting with management representatives is on Wednesday 8 November. Zurich have said they will consider feedback so it’s time they hear from all of us. If you haven’t already, please provide your confidential feedback to Zurich on their proposal here.
Send your feedback on Zurich’s substandard offer
It’s time Zurich offered pay and conditions that address the current economic climate and meet the standards enjoyed by our industry colleagues. Our FSU representatives will continue to hold discussions and meetings in the workplace, provide updates and seek your feedback.
We are stronger together so if you’re not already a member, you can join with your colleagues today by clicking here.
In unity,
Your FSU Team