Your ASU Delegates have met with Slater + Gordon management to discuss the plan for Enterprise Agreement negotiations. The ASU and Management have set down Tuesday 4 April 2017 to sit around the bargaining table and negotiate the next generation Slater and Gordon Australian Services Union Support Staff Enterprise Agreement and the Slater and Gordon Australian Services Union Lawyers Enterprise Agreement.
How Does the ASU Bargain?
While early April might seem some way off the reality is that there is a lot to be done before we sit down with S + G management to present our members’ claims. Before the 4 April meeting with S + G management the ASU will survey our members, collate the results, draft a log of claims drawn from your surveys, have these proposed claims endorsed by members and then formally serve the claims on management. This ensures that the claims truly represent what ASU members want, and that the claims have the backing of all ASU members. The important thing for ASU members is to be involved and complete the surveys quickly and attend workplace meetings to provide feedback. And please give as much support as you can to your ASU workplace Delegate as they carry out this work.
Bargaining in the time of Debt Restructure
ASU Delegates made it clear to S + G management that the priority for ASU members in bargaining is securing employee terms and conditions - wages, Union rights clauses, and redundancy entitlements. The best way to secure employment entitlements is with a current Enterprise Agreements that covers all employees. With both the Support Staff and Lawyers Enterprise Agreements expiring on 30 June 2017 the objective is to have the new Enterprise Agreements in place when the current Enterprise Agreements expire. To this end everyone at the bargaining table agreed that the ideal is to have bargaining proceed smoothly. However the ASU will not lower our demands simply for the sake of a quick resolution, the outcomes must be fair for all employees.
The most important asset for S + G right now are the employees. More than ever it is in the employees that the value of this law firm resides. Not management, not banks, not financial analysts can wright this ship, it is only the Employees who can navigate S + G back to calmer waters. For the benefit of everyone at S + G management would do well to have this front of mind during bargaining.
What next?
We need you to complete bargaining surveys as soon as you can. Here is where you can find the survey on survey monkey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SGsurvy17. They can be completed either in hard copy or through survey monkey. Your ASU Delegates and Organisers will facilitate this and we ask that you support them where you can. The ASU will contact members through workplace bulletins, workplace visits and electronically. If you have any queries please contact your workplace Organiser listed in the table below.
If you have any questions please contact your local delegate or organiser. (download the bulletin)
Slater & Gordon Bulletin - 15 Feb 2017