Paying for enterprise bargaining
By Ray Fulcher
MELBOURNE — A document circulated to DSS managers on July 19 advises them of the amount of salary dollars and ASL (Actual Staffing Level, i.e., jobs) they will be losing in order to pay for enterprise bargaining.
The document titled "Salary Allocations — 1993/94 Financial Year" states "3% of total base allocation has been withdrawn to cover the running costs savings required to fund the 2% productivity increase and 2% to be returned to Budget." The document was circulated by Area North Victoria to its Regional Office network.
Given that one of the principles of enterprise bargaining in the public service is that any pay increase will not be funded by the government, union activists have been asking where the money will be coming from.
The response of both management and the PSU's officials has been to argue that enterprise bargaining is not a "narrow-cost cutting exercise."
Costs however are being cut — from the wages budget of the department. The document does not detail how the losses will be taken, there are various options. The document only states that 23 ASL/$659,715 are set aside for agency-based bargaining out of the salary budget. This could mean the loss of up to 23 jobs in Area North Victoria but will more likely mean a loss in overtime earnings, employment of temporary staff and higher duties. There are three other areas in Victoria presumably repeating the process as well as the many areas around Australia.
This means that DSS employees will be receiving a wage increase which is little more than the redistribution of some of the money currently allocated to them as salary.
The enterprise bargaining agreement itself is still being worked on by the union, but a July newsletter indicates that a vote could be near. The Networker, a union newsletter for DSS members, outlines changes to some contentious points in the agreement which have been made following feedback from members.
The newsletter also outlines a projected voting process which is very similar to the process used when the PSU voted to enter on enterprise bargaining. That is, that members will be presented with a variety of options (up to four in this case) and be asked to cast a vote for one of them with the option receiving the most votes winning. This method of voting was roundly condemned after the initial process. Activists in the union will be pushing for a straight yes/no vote on the package, with other options being presented after this if necessary.