Award announced - RMS - Aug 2019 (PDF version)

The PSA is happy to confirm that after a long negotiation, there is now an in-principle agreement between the combined unions and TfNSW representing the RMS Group, on the RMS Consolidated Salaried Award 2019.

This negotiation has been affected by the dissolution of the RMS and the amalgamation of functions into TfNSW proper. This is in part one of the reason why the negotiations have taken so long. There are a number of changes to the RMS Award as a consequence of this process that members should be aware of. Many of them are cosmetic in nature (like the preference for the term Employer rather than Manager or supervisor) but there are also some significant changes.

The combined unions began with a considerably large ‘Log of Claims’ that have been augmented since the re-election of NSW Government and the continuation of the Wages Cap of 2.5 per cent.

The proposed agreement contains:

1. Term & Increase. The Roads & Maritime Services Consolidated Salaried Award 2019 will be for a 2-year Award with salary and allowances increases of 2.5% per annum. This is opposed to the current 1-year agreements for all other Public Sector Awards. The Awards will be backdated to come into effect for 1 July 2019 with back payment of salaries from the first full pay after 1 July.

 

2. Flexible Working Hours Agreement.

• Clause 10 agreement.
• When in operation, the agreement overrides the current Award provisions.
• 12-week settlement period.
• An increase in the amount of flex days staff can accrue from 12 per year to 24 per year. Can accrue up to 6 whole days in a settlement period.
• Can be taken consecutively if operationally convenient.
• A change in the current bandwidth to 6:00am-8:00pm from 7:00am-7:00pm.
• Protections for being directed to work at the extremes of the bandwidth, namely overtime.
• Ability to bank flex towards public sector shut down at Christmas.
• The only agreement that allows the banking of hours.

3. Updated Consultation clause. More information sought on workforce planning decisions and contingent labour usage.
4. New Diversity & Inclusion Clause. Aimed specifically at putting unions around the table when developing D&I Plans.
5. Additional of Senior Traffic Operations Officer to Incident Management Allowance. Includes a specific new role to attract the allowance.

 

6. Hours of Work Clause for Sydney Harbour Bridge Control Room employees. Ratifying a previous Local Arrangement.
7. Maritime Union of Australia Specific Clauses. Environmental Services Officers review of roles, Professional Development Clause.
8. Australian Institute of Marine Professional Engineers specific clauses. Current Local Arrangements now formalised in the Award.

 

You can read the entirety of the proposed Award with track changes HERE.

You can read the Flexible Working Hours Agreement HERE.

As part of the democratic procedures within your union, the PSA is balloting members in order to seek endorsement and progress the application to ratification with the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. The PSA is balloting members via Survey Monkey. The balloting processes takes less than a minute. To access the survey, click HERE.