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Protect jobs; protect injured workers; protect rights at
work
EBA7 Q&A
Q. Why is it taking so
long to get a new EBA?
A. It is a
matter of great concern to the CEPU that Australia Post has
not yet agreed to a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.
EBA7 was due to be
signed in 2007.
However, despite
extensive negotiations, Australia Post failed to delivery an
agreement that met the expectations of Union members. The
CEPU undertook a national survey to find out what was most
important to members in a new agreement.
You told us the
most important issues were:
-
A decent pay
rise
-
Protection of
access to penalty rates
-
Fair,
independent and enforceable dispute resolution
procedures.
Australia Post
relied on a legally flawed reading of Howard's WorkChoices
laws to exclude many important protections included in EBA6
from EBA7.
Q. Is the Union still
in talks with Australia Post?
A. YES.
Although talks broke down during 2008, high-level meetings
between Australia Post and the CEPU have resumed. We are
making some progress, however Australia Post is still
refusing to negotiate in a number of key areas including
protection of penalty rates, dispute resolution and the use
of facility-nominated doctors.
Q. What are the CEPU's
mail concerns about Australia Post's offer?
A. The
Enterprise Bargaining Agreement between Australia Post and
its employees is the primary instrument employees can rely
on to protect rights at work. That's why it's so important
that we get it right.
Over the course of
negotiating the last six EBAs, we have made significant
progress toward boosting your protections and job security.
Our primary aims
for EBA7 are to protect full time work and access to decent
take-home pay including fair overtime and shift penalties.
We know that as Australia Post implements its plan for
Future Delivery Design, it will be looking to cut full-time
jobs in favour of part-time and casual - jeopardising
employees' ability to support their families.
We also aim to use
these negotiations to force Post to clean up its act on the
treatment of sick and injured workers. We are demanding
Australia Post withdraw the Principal Determination allowing
it to send employees to Facility Nominated Doctors. The
Principal Determination underpins Australia Post's 'Cash for
Compo' rort, which sees injured workers denied fair
treatment to boost managers' bonuses and company profits.
Australia Post is
asking employees to trust that it will do the right thing on
issues not contained within EBA7, but we know that a legally
enforceable agreement is the only way to protect rights at
work.
Q. What can we do to
get a fair deal?
A.
Australia Post employees have already shown they are willing
to fight for a fair deal.
While the CEPU is
committed to the negotiation process, it may be necessary to
conduct a new ballot for protected industrial action after
the Federal Government's new workplace laws come into effect
on July 1. |
