Powerlink Bargaining Update: Powerlink attempting to short-change workers
The Services Union along with the other key unions met with
Powerlink today for the second bargaining meeting.
Powerlink has maintained its claims around removing key
entitlements, including its claim to reduce penalty rates for work performed on
public holidays, despite unions providing feedback during the last bargaining
meeting that removing such entitlements would significantly limit Powerlink’s
ability to meet the staffing requirements of the Queensland Energy and Jobs
plan.
We believe our log of claims, along with key claims
developed by other unions, will be instrumental in Powerlink meeting the
requirements of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. However, these claims are
yet to be tabled with the business.
The unions have not tabled their claims on account of a
change made to the Working at Powerlink Agreement (‘the Agreement’) during
previous round of negotiations. The change negatively impacts the CPI
adjustment provisions in the Agreement.
Powerlink intends to rely on this change so that it only
needs to take into consideration percentage increases in CPI observed during
the last two years of the Agreement. The approach taken is a significant
departure to the approach taken at EQL, which will consider CPI increases
observed over the life of the Agreement.
The changes to the CPI provisions were not tabled as a claim
during the last negotiation and were snuck into the Agreement by Powerlink
without notifying any of the unions.
EQL employees will be receiving a CPI uplift of
approximately 8.67% at the end of their Agreement, whilst Powerlink estimates a
CPI uplift of only 3.22%.
Our Union will not accept this as an outcome and are taking
steps to address the issue. We have put the matter in dispute and will be
meeting with the shareholding minister to raise our concern.
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outcomes are achieved during these negotiations.