EBA10: Agreement in-principle

• CONDITIONS, JOB SECURITY, WAGE-RISE DOUBLE AUS AVERAGE LOCKED IN
• ADM GONE, PENALTY RATES PROTECTED FOR GOOD

We’ve come a long way since the rocky start to bargaining, 10 weeks ago. Despite lockdowns, negotiations for a new EBA have continued over recent weeks and we’re pleased to share with members that the CEPU, CPSU and Australia Post have now reached agreement, in-principle.

The proposed new Agreement would lock-in the following key outcomes for members:

• A 3% per-annum compounding pay rise – the highest known public sector wage outcome, double the Australian average of 1.5% per annum. Wages will increase in September each year compounding to 9.27% in real terms new money paid entirely in salary increases, not one-off bonuses, over the life of the proposed three-year Agreement;
• A 3% per annum increase to all dollar-figure EBA allowances;
• No trade-offs – all existing EBA9 conditions, including hours of duty, penalty rates, leave entitlements, full-time employment preference, and the RRR agreement will be rolled-over and protected;
• A New $29.09 shift allowance for A-Double drivers;
• A joint review of the national transfer system to improve processes and ensures local long-term casuals in regional areas can be accommodated;             
• A joint review of the Board of Reference and dispute process, with a view to streamlining the process for, arbitrating disputes in the Fair Work Commission;
• A joint review of higher duties allocations, to ensure employees are not unfairly disadvantaged by rostering arrangements;
• A joint review of the employee counselling and disciplinary process;
• A joint review of technical and engineering classifications, including provisioning of clear requirements for salary advancement;
• Continuation of the NSW/ACT Retail Saturday Trading Agreement securing Monday to Friday ordinary hours rostering with voluntary Saturday additional hours / overtime arrangements
• to ensure the current classification structure accurately reflects the work undertaken by retail members;

• Restoring RDOs to retail members who had them removed as part of COVID arrangements;
• Restoring fifth week ARL entitlements to van drivers, who had them removed due to changes to Sunday SPB clearances, for the 2020 and 2021 year (subject to them remaining van drivers at 31 December 2021);
• A joint review of Sunday van duties to maximise opportunities for overtime and access to additional ARL entitlements;
• A joint review of the injury management process;
• A new independent ergonomic review of delivery modes of transport, including EDVs, with obligations to implementing any safety recommendations without delay;
• The ability for members to cash out of annual leave more frequently than currently allowed; and
• Securing the rights of our workplace AURs – the Delegates’ Charter, which contains these rights, will be submitted to the Fair Work Commission with the EBA and delivery model terms of reference.

As part of the overall package, the CEPU and Australia Post have also agreed on a terms of reference (TOR) document, which is a necessary step in replacing the ADM. The TOR sets the framework for the development and implementation of a new model across the delivery network and provides important additional safety, job security and take-home pay protections for members, including:                                                   

• New start-times for each facility to be determined between State Branch Secretaries and State management prior to the local working groups (LWGs) commencing the implementation process;
• Members to have genuine participation in developing their local operating model, including job and round design, resourcing requirements and modes of transport, through the LWG process;
• AURs nominated by each State Branch will participate in the National Working Group with their State and National Officials and national level management, to develop local guidelines for the national roll-out and determine unresolved disputes arising from LWGs;
• The Fair Work Commission will be empowered to hear and determine delivery model disputes that cannot be resolved internally, in accordance with the EBA dispute resolution procedures;
• Protection against forced, involuntary job losses in operational areas impacted by letter decline – including delivery, transport and mail processing; and
• Delivery pay parity locked in for good and extended to regions – 15% payments will continue to replace penalty rates at ADM sites and will be extended to PDOs at all remaining delivery facilities across the country. This payment is protected by the TOR for the life of the proposed Agreement and will be added to the rates of pay manual as a “Postal Delivery Allowance” moving forward past the next EBA.

Rolling-back to move forward: goodbye, ADM

We have remained committed in our approach that agreement on a new EBA could not be reached without a clear plan to address the ADM roll-back – including securing a genuine role for members to play in developing a replacement model in their workplace.

As we have said before, the importance of dealing with the operating model and the EBA as a total package was not only critical to the day-to-day outcomes for delivery members. The sustainability of CEPU members’ job security, pay and conditions across the entire organisation is critically dependent on Australia Post providing a quality of service that keeps your customers coming back – not one that forces them to seek out your competitors.

The TOR ensures that the roll-back, or roll-forward, is guided by the principles members told us were important and non-negotiable, including; one run per postie delivering all categories of mail product on that single round, subject to local member consultation, five days per week; ongoing pay parity and sufficient resourcing modelled around quality employment – permanent, full-time jobs.

Pilots of the roll-out have commenced at Coorparoo in Queensland, Preston in Victoria and Ingleburn in NSW and have so far assisted in fine tuning the TOR. New shifts at these sites have been agreed to commence between 6am and 6:15am and recasting to determine work offering and run sizes, modes of transport and resource requirements is now underway.

That ongoing modelling will continue to feed-in and assist the NWG in benchmarking the national roll-out.

Where to from here?

Over the coming weeks, your Officials will be meeting with members to explain the overall package in detail – ensuring you can make an informed decision when it is time to vote on the new EBA.

Where possible, as has been the normal practice in the past, these briefings will occur in your workplace. However, online video-conferences are also being planned to ensure members in geographical areas impacted by current and emerging COVID restrictions are not disadvantaged.

We will provide further information once the timeline for the above becomes clearer.

In the meantime, make sure you stay up to date with the latest news by logging on to our dedicated campaign website at www.eba10.com.au and updating your email address with our administration team on (02) 9893 7822 to ensure you receive important EBA updates as soon as they’re available.