Our campaign to win a fair new agreement is moving ahead! Your ASU bargaining team met with Menzies management in Sydney on 20 June 2018. Your team told management about the need for fairness and transparency in rostering, annual leave and days in lieu. We explained our claim for paid parental leave, 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave and RDOs.
We’ve had some wins!
Rostering
Menzies management has agreed they need to do better around rostering. We will keep working to ensure that we have agreed principles to underpin our work on rostering committees.
At the next meeting, we will hear a presentation about the rostering software that Menzies plans to roll out.
Annual Leave
Management agree that there should be transparency in how annual leave is allocated to all staff. They agree there should be a publicly available annual leave calendar.
Long Service Leave (LSL)
Management are considering our claim for pro-rata access to LSL after 7 years. They will also look at leave lines to ensure that people can take their LSL. Management agree that employees should be able to take LSL in shorter blocks where that is compliant with local LSL law.
Days in Lieu
Management agrees that practices for taking DILs should be reviewed in Sydney. We noted that Melbourne uses an easily accessible DIL book to ensure people can take their days off. Employees will be able to use a DIL when they give away a shift.
What are management saying?
We’re not sure, because management have told us two stories. Firstly, they made this offer:
- A 3 or 4 year agreement
- 3% pay increases for each year of the Agreement
- Free car parking for all employees BUT the ‘social and disability’ and transport allowance will be removed from the agreement.
- Management might want to be able to change rosters at 12 hours’ notice (but they aren’t sure if they are asking for that).
Here’s the big BUT - management say that they might pursue a B Scale if other ground handlers try to cut the pay and conditions of their employees.
What do we say?
Negotiations are at an early stage. We’ve heard what management have had to say, but we need them to confirm what they are actually asking for. We’ll keep pushing for a fair agreement.
What next?
The next bargaining meeting is on 3 July 2018 in Sydney. We will be discussing our claims for permanent employment, job security and overtime.
What can I do to help?
It’s pretty simple. Support your delegates on the bargaining team – they need to know you are behind them all the way. If you work with anyone who isn’t an ASU member, ask them to join on line at: https://www.asu.asn.au/asujoin
Need more information?
For more information, please get in touch with the relevant contact below: (download the full bulletin below for details) 
Menzies Bulletin - 22 June 2018