Transport for NSW Award survey

Transport for NSW Award survey July 2015 (PDF version)

The PSA and other Transport unions have been in the process of negotiating the Transport for NSW Award over the past ten weeks. After consultation with members the primary aim of the union negotiating team has been to secure the maximum 2.5% wage increase without any loss of conditions for TfNSW employees.

TfNSW refused to agree to a multiple year award and wanted several changes to be made to the award before agreeing to a 2.5% wage increase.

Those changes included:

• Creation of shift-work classifications for the CBD Taskforce
• Removal of core hours and expansion of span of hours to 7am-7pm for flexitime
• Introduction of casuals into the organisation (currently prohibited)
• Increase in the ability to use temporary employment
• Alignment of drug and alcohol provisions for on-call workers in award to the TfNSW Drug and Alcohol Policy

Unions successfully fought against the introduction of precarious employment via casualisation and provision for the expansion of temporary employees by making it clear that there would be no CBD Taskforce classifications if TfNSW were to introduce those clauses.

Unions also fought for and won protections around flexitime that strengthen employees’ rights to control start and finish times under flexitime.

This includes the potential for overtime payments if the employer wants a flexitime worker to work back after their regular hours.

A proposed new award has been created and we are seeking member feedback on whether you want to endorse the proposal.

A full list of changes include:

• 12 month award
• 2.5% pay increase backdated to the first pay period on or after 1 July 2015
• Creation of new classification of workers for the CBD Taskforce (limited to CBD Taskforce)
• Increase in roster notice for shift workers
• Alignment of drug and alcohol provisions for on call workers with police to be accompanied by an education campaign for affected workers
• Removal of core hours (previously 9:30am to 3:30pm)
• Expansion of the bandwidth from 7:30am – 6pm to 7am – 7pm
• Strengthening of protections for employees working flexitime
• Potential for flexitime employees requested to work outside regular hours to be paid overtime
• Definition of Professional Engineer to be inserted to reflect international standards
• Obligation for managers having staff act up whilst they are on leave to pay them the higher rate of pay (pro rata to the percentage of higher duties they are undertaking)
• Discussions over the life of the award surrounding:
  • Salary package options for staff
  • Strategies to increase the number of women engineers at TfNSW
  • Strategies for career progression at TfNSW for Professional Engineers and technical professionals
  • Professional Engineer classifications.

Please complete THIS SURVEY asking PSA members if you wish to accept the proposed new award.

(https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TfNSWAward)

Voting closes Monday 3 August 2015 at 10.00am so fill in the survey ASAP

Please note that this survey is being conducted independently of the surveys distributed by Unions NSW and Professionals Australia. This is to maintain the privacy of our members.