RMS Unions Urgent Award Update – (PDF version)
RMS HR withdraws commitment to protect employees under new Flexitime arrangement.
RMS is putting your Overtime, Penalty Rates, Family Friendly Arrangements at Risk.
Today, we expected to finalise the RMS Consolidated Salaried Award, but at the last minute RMS HR has thrown the making of the Award into jeopardy.
Flextime remains a key outstanding issue. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has told RMS to adopt the TfNSW clause without any consideration for the difference between RMS and TfNSW.
Unions have raised concerns that under the new Flexitime arrangement employees would lose:
- Paid overtime
- Shift penalties
- On call/call out payments
- The ability to work family friendly hours as they could be obliged to start at 7am or finish at 7pm
Unions also stated that there are big problems at TfNSW with this same arrangement including:
- Employees on Flexitime being directed to start and finish work at specific times.
- Local managers creating a pseudo shift roster within the Flexitime bandwidth and avoiding the need to pay shift penalties.
This week, RMS committed to including protections for employees to avoid the problems seen at TfNSW and to ensure employees did not lose overtime, allowances, family friendly working arrangements and other entitlements.
At the eleventh hour, just prior to the matter being resolved in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, RMS has written to the unions stating that protections for employees are off the table and will not be agreed to.
The unions are extremely disappointed at RMS’s conduct. The Commission asked the parties to work together to prepare a position, including discussing protections for employees within the Flexitime clause. This has not occurred.
RMS HR’s capricious conduct is now jeopardising the finalisation of the Award and your 2.5% pay increase!
Peter Duncan, RMS CEO, indicated in his bulletin this week that the new Flexitime arrangements are for the benefit of employees. RMS’s current approach will see conditions reduced and family friendly arrangements placed in jeopardy. We are calling on Peter Duncan to step in and take action to finalise these negotiations and include fair protections for employees working under new Flexitime arrangements.