IRCG and Industrial Update – TSU
IRCG
On Tuesday 18 October 2022, our Senior Workplace Delegates Ken Feltham, Lucas Garretty and Jorge Salles along with Jack Donaghy, Senior Industrial Officer attended the monthly Industrial Relations Consultation Group (‘IRCG’).
A number of final decisions for restructures were presented, including Metering in Yurika, Operations Substations – Customer Partnerships and Customer Market Operations – Connections in Customer. The feedback was well received, and the final decisions are on track to be implemented.
At the last IRCG, there was a proposal in the Digital Division. As a result of the feedback our members provided, Digital Division have gone back to re-work the proposal. The consultation period has been extended and EQL intends to bring the final decision for that proposal to the IRCG next month. Our Workplace Delegates will be meeting with affected members again next week. Please reach out to Ken Feltham, Jorge Salles and Vince Currie regarding the details of the meeting. The adjustment of the proposal is a good win for members and a result of the hard work of our Workplace Delegates.
TOIL
Our Union raised the matter of TOIL being misapplied by managers in circumstances where they have directed employees to accrue TOIL instead of being paid overtime rates. Taking overtime as TOIL is the choice of the employee in accordance with clause 8.10 of the Enterprise Agreement. You cannot be directed to accrue TOIL.
We requested the business educate managers on the appropriate interpretation and application of the clause.
IVAMs MOU
Our Union has been involved in the discussions around the IVAMs (in vehicle monitoring) Reference Group and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). These discussions resulted from the last enterprise agreement negotiations.
Our Union has been involved every step of the way to ensure that there is adequate safeguards in the MOU. Our Senior Workplace Delegate, Lucas Garretty and Jack Donaghy, Senior Industrial Officer are on the IVAMs reference group. The MOU has been signed off by the Secretary of the Union and we will continue to have oversight of the process and the continuing consultation regarding IVAMs.
If any of our members are involved in a disciplinary process relating to the use of an EQL vehicle, they should contact Services Connect on (07) 3844 5300 to speak to an Industrial Officer immediately.
Bargaining for the next EA
While the current enterprise agreements do not expire until 29 February 2024 and we don’t anticipate bargaining to start until September 2023, our Workplace Delegates have already started conversations with members in a recent round of member meetings. We will engage members shortly on the subject and we will be collating our claims for bargaining in the first part of 2023.
The most important thing now is asking your colleagues who are not members of a union to join the TSU. Its crucial that we have the majority of the employees in the union to have their voices heard but also to send a strong message to the employer during the negotiations.
Ask them to Join!
If you have a colleague who is not in the Union, ask them to join and send them the following link:
https://www.theservicesunion.com.au/tsu/join
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jack Donaghy, Senior Industrial Officer via [email protected] or one of your TSU Senior Workplace Delegates.