The ASU and Auscript are currently in dispute before the Fair Work Commission for the second time in 2020.
This time it is in relation to pay rates:
- no CPI increases in 2020; and
- the Enterprise Agreement (EA) Bronze rate falling below the applicable Clerks - Private Sector award rate for most employees at Level 2.
The ASU rejects that the COVID-19 restrictions allow Auscript to make up its' own rules as it goes along as it tried to do with redundancy consultation before the Fair Work Commission intervened.
Enterprise Agreement CPI pay increases
Management continue to reject the CPI increase of 1.8% (Quarter to Dec 2019 All Groups). The ASU claims the EA does not provide for management discretion and that it should be paid as it was in all previous years in the life of the agreement.
Back in 2010 Auscript management were able to succeed with a close staff vote approving the EA by promising annual CPI increases in the life of the agreement. They proceeded to pay this increase based on the Bronze base rate in March in successive years up until 2019. Annually there is an expectation of a CPI increase for all staff.
Early this year management had initially granted the increase then unilaterally decided to withdraw it.
Clerks - Private Sector Award Rates
The ASU has warned Auscript the EA Bronze level pay rate at $22.02 has for some time been below the applicable Clerks - Private Sector Award minimum rates of pay.
For most Auscript staff that would be a classification at Level 2 - Year 2 with a current rate of $878.50 per week or $23.12 per hour e.g. for competent Audio Transcribers, Court Monitors, Annotators, Workflow Officers, Delivery Coordinators and Document Mergers. For those with under 12 months of related work experience the pay rate should be not less than Level 2 - Year 1 currently $862.50 per week or $22.70 per hour.
Auscript treat the Bronze rate as a discretionary "trainee" rate and later drop staff back from higher levels to Bronze if they don't perform as well despite their earlier competency.
National Wage Case
As a result of a recent Fair Work Commission Full Bench decision all Clerks PS award minimum rates of pay will be increased by a further 1.75% from 1 November 2020.
Petition
PLEAE NOTE the attached staff petition which, if you haven't already, we request you read and consider signing for the purposes of supporting the ASU's Fair Work Commission proceedings.
More information
For more information, please get in touch with the relevant contact.
If you're not a member of the ASU, you can join online now at our secure form: https://asujoin.asn.au/.
Download the full bulletin and petition here.