Our most recent negotiation with Armaguard saw the company bring to the table a few changes to be considered.
These changes have come about because the ASU has continued to question whether or not their previous offer would stack up against the new Award and Fair Work Act.
Whilst the offer appears to have improvements there is still significant work to be done to ensure that the agreement will deliver a fair and reasonable outcome for all members.
What has Armaguard put on the table?
- A 1.4% pay increase for the majority of staff – not great for maintaining the cost of living.
- A moderately improved redundancy clause
- – a small step in the right direction.
- They are still seeking to remove references in the part time clause around how hours are managed which opens staff up to the possibility of an ever changing roster.
- Armaguard are looking to potentially increase the grade four wage rate to provide a better incentive and recognition to staff working at that level.
- The company is considering a shift allowance paid for the time worked from 7pm. Applicable for only the hours worked not the whole shift.
- At this stage Armaguard haven’t made any commitments around job security and hours for part time employees
What’s next?
We are currently conducting some analysis of how any new rates measure up against the new minimum requirements of the modern Award. Since our last negotiations in 2012 the minimum wage has
increased and the minimum conditions in the Clerks Award are different, in many cases better.
Why is this important?
Whenever we do an EBA it has to be measured against the (new) modern Award to ensure that you are better off overall in your new EBA versus the Award. This is called the BOOT test (Better Off Overall Test)
At the moment the ASU is not convinced that the current offer meets the standard that it should and have therefore asked Armaguard to provide us with the information we need so that we can do a detailed analysis of the offer based on actual rosters rather than hypothetical scenarios presented by management.
We also need to ensure that your new agreement keeps pace with the cost of living and improves upon the minimum conditions you are entitled to.
In the coming weeks we’ll be reporting back to our members to get your views on where things are at.