Roads & Maritime Services Consolidated Salaries Award 2014
Roads & Maritime Services Consolidated Salaries Award 2014 – June 2016 (PDF version)
Your pay increase – an update
Members would be aware that the PSA filed for a variation of the current Roads & Maritime Services Consolidated Salaries Award 2014 for the maximum 2.5% pay increases over 2 years.
On 3 May, the PSA outlined a roadmap for the current round of wage negotiations. Read our previous bulletin HERE.
A number of unions are parties to this RMS Award, including the PSA. The parties negotiate through the auspices of Unions NSW and the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU).
The RMS provided a log of claims and proposed changes to the award as a part of the wage negotiation process.
The SBU has provided a log of claims to the RMS.
Some of those claims would be considered beneficial to PSA members.
In terms of the PSA claims, the RMS has agreed to insert Traffic Commander specific clauses into the award.
Also, the RMS may entertain a Memorandum of Understanding with respect to the Operation of the Regional Traffic Operations Centre.
There are also a number of current SBU claims that are under consideration by the RMS that includes better consultation clauses, working from home arrangements, Christmas close-down enhancements, a labour review clause and award re-formatting into schedules so that it is easier to read.
After numerous meetings, the RMS has taken off the table a number of the proposals that negatively affected the pay and conditions of staff.
However, RMS are pursuing the following:
- The expansion of the current flextime bandwidth to 7am – 7pm (currently 7:30am to 6pm), which may mean a potential reduction in access to overtime
- IVRs – Provisions dealing with crib breaks
- Some further Maritime specific clauses.
The SBU has asked for employment related costings regarding the proposed changes to the current bandwidth.
On Thursday 23 June, the Industrial Relations Commission held conciliation between the parties on these outstanding claims and stood the matter over until Thursday 30 June.
The urgency
The RMS award is the last outstanding award to be made for the PSA.
All other PSA members have had their awards finalised and will be paid a 2.5% increase from the first pay period in July.
Should an award not be made by 22 July 2016, NSW Industrial Relations have advised that they will not be able to give a retrospective pay increase.
That is no backpay beyond 22 July if an agreed award is not made.
Under the NSW Government Wages Policy there is no legal avenue to achieve back pay after that date.
Therefore, the PSA is working to ensure that a new award is achieved by 22 July. If this does not occur, then members will have their pay increase for 2016 delayed, with no prospect of back pay. This will in turn mean that management will be in a stronger bargaining position and use this to try to reduce conditions as per their claims.
Any offer by RMS for a consent award will be put to a ballot of PSA members in RMS through a survey.
