CEPU Communications Division (CWU) National President and NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Shane Murphy said the Union had rejected Visionstream’s Fieldwork EBA offer, explaining the offer created an unfair class divide, attacked job security and represents a pay cut – not a pay rise.
“Our members go to work each day, do the best job they can do, and expect to be paid fairly for that,” said Shane.
“They don’t expect to come to work and be slapped in the face with an offer that attacks their job security and cuts their pay, in real terms,
“The fact that management even had the gall to share this offer with their workforce is disgraceful.”
In bargaining, the Union has advanced claims on behalf of workers to:
- Apply the picnic day to all employees
- Increase company required travel by a minimum $20 per day
- Have company required travel allowance paid to an employee within 24 hours of working away to ensure the employee is able to meet their normal financial obligations
- Day in Lieu when working away from home and having to take a rest day whilst away
- Apply daily travel time of 45 minutes each way (not applicable when working away on company travel)
- Improve redundancy benefits whilst protecting the 84 weeks redundancy for those still covered by that agreement
- Secure redundancy benefits in a redundancy trust such as MERT, CIRT etc
- Improve superannuation benefits
- Contractor use clause
In addition to the above, the Union is seeking for wages to increase fairly – enabling families to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“As part of bargaining, we’ve also asked Visionstream to bring parity to the rates of pay across both groups of workers who come to work each day and do the exact same work, in the same uniform, for the same company,” Shane said.
“And they’re response? ‘Yeah, sure! We’ll do that – we’ll make it happen by stagnating wages.’
“It’s an absolute joke and our members and their families deserve better than that.”
The negotiating teams will meet with Visionstream next on 12 and 13 February. We will continue to bargain in good faith and seek to shift the company’s position from the current offer.
In the meantime, it is crucial that you ask your colleagues who may not yet be Union members, to join today. Only a strong and unionised workforce will secure an EBA that delivers for Visionstream workers and their families.
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