Some Big Questions for BCC Members

The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) heard the evidence in the remaining dispute over the contents of the 2020 Enterprise Agreement.

That dispute relates to the classification levels for bus drivers and has not involved The Services Union other than by holding up the processing of the Agreement through the QIRC. We are now hopeful that all will be resolved and the Agreement which will be known as a Determination will be made before it expires on 7 October 2022.

What next?

The pay rise for the next Agreement is the big question. Last Agreement we had to accommodate the Lord Mayor’s wage freeze, but ultimately delivered 4% in wage increases.

Since then, the cost of living has quadrupled and you have steered the Council through the Covid crisis, as well as delivered significant productivity improvements through several means including a lower requirement for office accommodation.

The Council has also now struck its rate increase for 2022 at an average of 4.93%. The Fair Work Commission has adjusted Federal Award wages by 4.6% which represents a 5.1% increase overall when the .5% increase in the Superannuation Guarantee is taken into account.

The outlook from the Reserve Bank is for inflation to continue to rise to possibly 7% around Christmas and then, maybe, taper off next year. The 7% is a reference to the national CPI which is presently 5.1%, however the Brisbane CPI is already running at 6%.

Given the current economic volatility members may be wary of locking in a three-year agreement.

The Services Union will be looking to meet the Council in the next few weeks to start our discussions. In the meantime, our officials will be visiting the workplace to talk to members about the upcoming negotiations. Make sure you take every opportunity to participate in this important discussion.