DHA has received approval from the APSC and the Dept. of Finance for their proposed agreement. The proposal is strictly in line with the Government’s unworkable agenda to strip your rights, cut conditions and take home pay.
If this proposal is accepted by staff, your conditions would be cut and you would also face a wage cut in real terms.
CPSU members have been clear that they do not accept conditions cuts.
CPSU paid time meetings
CPSU has requested paid time meetings for all staff to talk through the offer and what it means for you. Keep an eye out for meeting details in your workplace.
DHA’s position
- Significant stripping of the DHA EA: removing all commitments, guidance and process information from the enforceable agreement, which means they can be changed by management without your agreement and you will have no way to gain access to those entitlements if you are not receiving them.
- Performance bonus: stripping out your conditions that guide how much you can receive in a performance bonus based on your performance rating.
- Performance management: removing your right to a warning and an informal process to improve your performance. Your manager could put you straight on to a formal performance management plan with the associated risk of demotion or termination.
- Rostering: removal of your direct right to consultation on changes to your roster, relying only on the general, less specific consultation clause.
- Part time work: removal of employee initiated part time work clauses.
- Elder/Disabled Care Leave: DHA proposal cuts this leave.
- Miscellaneous leave: removal of examples of miscellaneous leave and cut to only in the interest of DHA
- Travel: removing your right to a travel allowance leaving you to make a case for re-imbursement, potentially leaving you out of pocket for travelling for work purposes.
- Increased management discretion: through changing “will” to “may” in many clauses, removing your right to those entitlements.
Pay
In return for the cuts proposed above, DHA has tabled a pay increase of 4.5% in total over the 3 year life of the agreement:
- 1.5% on commencement
- 1.5% 12 months after, and
- 1.5% 24 months after commencement.
With Treasury forecasting CPI at 2.5% this remuneration proposal from DHA represents a pay cut in real terms.
The choice is clear
CPSU members in DHA and across the APS have clearly stated that they will not accept cuts to conditions. When members take action and stick together we have a great track record of protecting conditions.
Pressure applied across the APS from NO votes and industrial action has seen the government shift significantly from their initial position. Superannuation is now back in agreements and we’ve seen a shift on productivity and pay.
Smaller agencies with low union density are at risk of accepting an offer too early and missing out on further improvements to the government’s position. It’s time for you to make a choice, to protect your conditions of employment; you need to participate in our campaign by joining online today.
