Union commences pay talks at Barcoo Shire Council

Last Friday The Services Union commenced Certified Agreement (CA) negotiations with Barcoo Shire Council. We provided an initial explanation of our Log of Claims, and the Council will formally respond this week.

At this early stage we can advise that the Council’s position is to include Stream A staff in a single agreement which would cover all employees. We told the Council that we were open to this idea provided our members maintained all current employment arrangements including the nine-day fortnight. The Council did agree that the nine-day fortnight would remain and be provided for.

The other item we were able to discuss in detail was parental leave. We explained members’ concerns regarding the current lack of a paid leave component and how this significantly contributed to the previous indoor agreement being voted down. The Council stated it would table a proposal for consideration.

The next meeting is set down for tomorrow 12 April and we will update you after this and subsequent meetings. For any of your colleagues who aren’t yet members of our Union, now is the time to encourage them to join online.