ASU negotiates rollover Agreement with AEMO

ASU members have resoundingly endorsed the proposed variation (rollover) to the AEMO Enterprise Agreement.

On Thursday 11th July 2013, ASU members and AEMO staff covered by the AEMO Enterprise Agreement were provided the opportunity to vote on extending the Agreement for a fourth year. Out of the 245 staff who voted, 99.2% voted YES.

Since May 2013 AEMO management and the ASU (along with other industrial unions) have been negotiating a proposal to vary the AEMO Enterprise Agreement 2011-2014 by extending it for an additional year. The ASU and other industrial unions worked constructively with AEMO management to produce what we believe is an excellent deal for members and employees.

What's changed?

The AEMO Agreement conditions will remain largely intact. Our feedback from members told us that you were, overall, happy with the Agreement and thought the offer of 4.25% over another year was an attractive. In addition, AEMO have agreed to ensure that the statutory 0.25% increase in superannuation will be added to, not absorbed into, your TEC.

Further, due to the changes to the Fair Work Act that took effect on 1st Jan 2013, the "opt-out" clauses are now "prohibited content". As a result, clauses 3.4 and 3.5 have been amended to remove references to "opt out" rights.

Other changes include:

• adding a fourth year to the Agreement with a new expiry date of 30th June 2015;
• lifting the existing 4.25% TEC rate increase from first pay period after 1 July 2013 to 4.5% (ie an extra 0.25%) to reflect the legislated 0.25% SGC increase from 1 July 2013
• a new TEC increase of 4.25% from first pay period after 1 July 2014;
• commitment to honour any future legislated SGC increases;
• updating special maternity leave provisions in line with legislative changes;
• updating Schedule C (Electricity Operations Shift Schedule) to reflect the nomenclature change from PSO Managers to NEM Real Time Operations, to reflect the working arrangements agreed to in November 2012 and to add a separate Part C for NEM RTOs;
• updating other terminology and removing redundant provisions (e.g. references to FWC/FWA, AWAs and ITEAs).

Questions

If you have any questions or wish the join the ASU please contact your ASU delegate or an ASU official on any of the contact methods below.

 AEMO Bulletin - 12 July 2013