Pay
Pay Increase
The agreement increases rates of pay for all employees by a decent % per annum,
made up of a CPI increase and a productivity increase based on Australia Post’s
past productivity gains. The increase shall be calculated and paid from the
nominal expiry date of the current agreement.
Any performance bonuses are to be incorporated into salary for superannuation
purposes.
Protecting Terms and Conditions of Employment
Existing Conditions
We believe that no employee should be worse off in terms of their overall terms
and conditions of employment under EBA7. Therefore wages, including penalty
rates and overtime payments, and relevant terms and conditions of employment
under the current EBA, Awards, Principal Determinations and other agreements
must be incorporated into EBA7 with the proviso that this does not include terms
in those various industrial instruments that contain prohibited content. New
employees shall have the choice to access all EBA pay rates and conditions.
Note – WorkChoices is designed to do away with award-based conditions
altogether. In the future, any conditions which are not explicitly contained in
a workplace agreement will disappear.
Termination of Agreement
No party will seek to unilaterally terminate the agreement.
Note - A workplace agreement can be terminated by an employer after 90 days
notice. This would leave employees only entitled to the 5 minimum conditions
during the bargaining process and forced into accepting a poorer agreement from
this vulnerable position. A clause protecting unilaterally terminating an
agreement is required.
Disputes Settlement
A dispute settlement procedure must give the Australian Industrial Relations
Commission (AIRC) power to deal with disputes including arbitration powers and
give employees the right to be represented by the union of their choice at every
stage of the dispute procedure.
Note - The union can only rely on the powers the agreement gives the AIRC to
settle disputes. Agreements will therefore need to contain a comprehensive
clause setting out the powers and functions of the AIRC.
Redundancy
The provisions of the Australia Post Redundancy Agreement shall be incorporated
into the agreement subject to any prohibited content that may be contained in
the Redundancy Agreement.
Note - Under WorkChoices employers will not be regarded as having unfairly
dismissed someone if the termination includes “genuine operational reasons”.
This clause ensures redundancy continues to be an entitlement.
No Extra Claims
Parties to the agreement shall not make extra claims that affect employees'
terms and conditions of employment over the life of the agreement. Australia
Post agrees not to issue any new Principal Determinations or to vary any
existing Determinations without consultation and agreement.
Note - There are prohibitions on renegotiation of agreements. Unions get no
right to a collective bargain even if the majority wants one. This clause is to
prevent parties refusing to deal with a claim for a replacement agreement.
Maintaining Job Security
Australia Post commits to maintaining job security to the
fullest extent practicable including jobs in regional and country areas and, if
necessary, to provide retraining, redeployment and voluntary redundancy to
manage workplace change.
Guidelines for converting part-time, fixed term and casuals to permanent
full-time positions will be included in the new agreement.
Current Award classifications and Work Level Standards will be incorporated into
the new agreement.
Note - There are prohibitions on restricting labour hire and contractors.
Classification structures are unenforceable from commencement of WorkChoices and
will eventually be removed from Awards.
Making Sure Workers Have a Say
Employee Representation and Consultation
Employees have the right to choose to be represented by an organisation of their
choice in any discussion with Australia Post about employment matters.
Proper consultative mechanisms shall be established to enable genuine
consultation on employment matters. Genuine consultation requires access to the
information, the capacity to influence decisions before they are made,
facilities, training and work support for employees who may be involved.
Freedom of Association
Australia Post recognises the right of workers to join a union and shall not
disadvantage or discriminate against union members in their employment.
Balancing Work and Family
Control Over Hours
Employees ordinary hours of work shall not be increased. Overtime and shift
loadings are to be maintained.
WorkLife Initiatives
WorkLife initiatives of 48/52, advancing annual leave, part-time, employment
breaks, job sharing (full-time & part-time jobs), leave for caring, flextime,
rostered days off, short term absences and time off in lieu are agreed. However
to achieve WorkLife balance employees must be able to access these initiatives.
Therefore a 'right to request' these flexible work conditions is agreed.
Australia Post may only refuse the request on reasonable grounds such as cost,
lack of replacement staff, loss of efficiency and impact on customer service.
Maternity and Family Leave
- Paid maternity leave increased from 13 to at least 14
weeks.
- Paid supporting partner leave established of six
weeks.
- Paid Adoption leave of 14 weeks.
- Right to work part time upon return from parental
leave be established for duration of 5 years.
- Parental leave without pay of up to five years be
available on return from paid parental leave.
- Employer support for child care for employees.
Carers Leave
Access to flexible working arrangements is essential to allow carers to balance
work and caring responsibilities for children, elderly or disabled people and in
cases of chronic illness.
Therefore employees who have caring responsibilities have a ‘right to request’
the flexible work conditions set out in the WorkLife initiatives. Australia Post
may only refuse the request on reasonable grounds such as cost, lack of
replacement staff, loss of efficiency and impact on customer service.
Retaining Mature Age Workers
Australia Post recognises that incentives may need to be offered to retain
mature aged workers. Therefore the union seeks to put into the agreement
incentives such as:
- Employer funded access to financial advice before an
employee retires; and
- Access to transition to retirement superannuation
initiatives through this agreement.
Healthy and Safe Workplaces and Working Conditions
We believe Australia post has an obligation to create a
healthy workplace culture. This means Australia Post will abide by all relevant
occupational health and safety legislation and will put in place appropriate
strategies to eliminate harassment and bullying, including training managers how
to manage compassionately. In addition the terms of the Australia Post OHS
Agreement 1992 shall be incorporated into this agreement to the extent that
those terms do not contain prohibited content.
Australia Post agrees that employees have a right to be involved in job design
to ensure that work rates are safe and realistic, a variety of different
activities are undertaken and jobs are as fulfilling as possible.
Training
It is important for career paths that jobs are designed in
accordance with the classification structure set out in the relevant Work Level
Standards (where such standards exist) and that employees have the opportunity
to undertake training to develop and use a number of different skills.
Training will be aligned to agreed competency standards and, where possible,
lead to nationally recognised qualifications under the relevant industry
training package and the Australian Qualifications Framework.
All employees will have equitable access to training and assessment
opportunities. Training and assessment will be conducted where possible during
normal working hours with the costs met by Australia Post. Training during and
out of hours is treated as paid time and must include shift penalties and
overtime so that no employee is disadvantaged.
Fitness for Work
We believe that employees have the right to consult and
follow the advice of their treating doctor in the context of claims or potential
claims related to workers’ compensation and /or sick leave. Therefore the use of
disciplinary procedures and cost recovery for medical examinations against
employees for failing to follow a direction to attend a medical examination in
respect of fitness for work before attending their own treating doctor is
rejected.
Accordingly Australia Post will delete from Principal Determination No.6, Clause
10 entitled, Fitness for Duty, the right to direct an employee to an FND outside
of the terms set out in the Award.
Income Protection
Australia Post agrees to make available income protection to
employees in the event of serious illness or injury.
Travel Cover
Australia Post agrees to cover workers’ compensation costs
for injury arising out of travel between an employee’s place of residence and
place of work, or while attending trade, technical or other training which is
expected by Australia Post.
Remote Localities
Employees living in rural and remote parts of Australia face
particularly challenges and disadvantages. Remote localities assistance
including leave, allowances, reimbursements and assistance with airfares and
housing must be maintained to support employees delivering services in remote
and rural Australia.
Uniforms
Australia Post agrees to continue to provide current uniform
entitlements at no cost to employees. It is also agreed that Australia Post and
employee representatives will meet on a regular basis to provide feedback from
employee participation groups within each state and to consider and resolve
matters relating to uniforms and supply of protective clothing and equipment.
Part-Time Conditions
Part-time employees shall be eligible for overtime penalty
rates in circumstances where an employee is required to work in excess of
his/her normal work hours.
Part-time employees required to work ordinary hours continuously for a period
exceeding 4 weeks in a shift falling wholly within 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. shall be
paid an additional 30% of salary for that shift.
Special Leave
Paid special leave is available for up to 3 days without
deduction from recreational or sick leave credits in any 12 months for special
compassionate leave to care for family members, change of residence,
anticipation of recreational leave, repatriation leave, natural or civil
disasters and other extraordinary purposes.
Superannuation
Australia Post agrees to provide a choice for all employees
to become permanent members of the APSS and receive:
- A benefit defined to age 75 by the present formula
for permanent employees, with an increase in the Final Average Salary by way of
a loading of:
- 15% for employees who are rostered to perform ordinary
duty on a shift, any part of which falls between the hours of 6.30 a.m. and 6.00
p.m.
- Total Permanent Disablement (TPD) and death benefit
as currently provided for under the present formula during all periods of
probationary employment and to age 75.
- Access to salary sacrifice arrangements.
CSS members have the opportunity of exercising choice to
become permanent members of the Australia Post Superannuation Scheme.
Australia Post agrees to provide full information sessions on superannuation
arrangements (including employer contributions and additional TPD and death
benefit arrangements) to employees with four (4) weeks of commencement or
recommencement of employment.
Australia Post shall also provide quarterly, seminars for employees and their
spouses to have available access to information sessions with APSS and CSS
member:
- Services, including fees, other costs, taxation and
financial advice
- Investment options, Super Co-contributions, salary
sacrificing and benefit products
- Superannuation changes
Duration
The agreement will operate from 1st January 2007.
Job Specific Claims
Retail
Franchising
Maintaining job security regardless of franchising is demanded.
The provisions of the existing Retail Conversion Agreement (LPOs) will be
incorporated into this agreement subject to any prohibited content that may be
contained in the Retail Agreement.
Security
Employees at Australia Post Retail outlets deserve better protection against
armed robbery threats. Therefore Australia Post agrees to review armed robbery
issues at Retail Post outlets as a matter of priority.
Delivery
Dedicated Outdoor Delivery
We believe that there are no benefits for employees or customers from dedicated
delivery only arrangements. Therefore any extension of dedicated outdoor
delivery and sequencing/sorting jobs is rejected.
Penalty Rates
Australia Post agrees to maintain the existing PDO salary including the 15%
penalty rate.
Mails/Parcels
Sort Rates
Sort rates in the manual sort area will be defined within a bandwidth so as to
accommodate a range of variables, including human differences and quality of
mail.
Swipe Cards and other data collection systems
Australia Post undertakes to ensure to the satisfaction of employees that swipe
cards and other data collection systems will not be used to monitor employees.
Job Rotation
The parties will examine the work and job design of mail officers and night
sorters for the purpose of reaching agreement on the rotation patterns that must
be incorporated into these jobs to ensure a variety of different activities and
the use of a number of different skills of the person.
Tea Breaks
Australia Post agrees to paid tea breaks of 15 minutes duration every 2 hours.
Transport
For the purpose of addressing issues associated with health
and safety, pay and conditions Australia Post agrees to develop a specific
designation for linehaul drivers.
Australia Post agrees that the tonnage allowance shall be paid to transport
drivers with the appropriate qualification irrespective of when the
qualification is used.
Technical
The process for the introduction of a competency based
qualification framework is to be continued and Australia Post agrees that
technical staff will have access to the Diploma level qualification.
