Does your employer want the NDIS to be the best it can be for people with disability and the workers who support them every day? It’s time to take our NDIS campaign demands directly to service providers – will your employer support secure jobs, decent wages and conditions, professional standards and career paths, and better consultation at work? 

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Join the rally next Thursday 12.00 noon at Hospital Rd, behind NSW Parliament House for paid domestic violence leave for all workers! RSVP here!

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Last week the NSW Government announced that it is going to introduce "minimum standards" for child protection workers. There is little to no detail about how the minimum standards for child protection workers will work - what they will be, how they will be implemented, how it will affect the thousands of child protection workers who do the right thing every day and work tirelessly to support vulnerable young people.

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Your job, your career - we want to know what you think about the future of work in community and disability services

Posted by Neha Madhok · October 05, 2016 9:43 AM

Marriage Equality Now - no harmful plebiscite - rally and ASU forum in October

Posted by Neha Madhok · October 05, 2016 9:40 AM

Spotlight on enterprise bargaining: Mission Australia members organise to win

Posted by Neha Madhok · October 05, 2016 9:38 AM

  

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What else is TBS proposing?

We also asked for no conditions that were lower than that SCHADS Industry Award 2010.

However so far:

1. TBS have offered no guarantee on a regular pattern of hours for part-time workers even though this is an Award entitlement
2. TBS have proposed to roster 24-hour care shifts for Child and Family workers. This is a below Award condition. We have organised a meeting to specifically discuss how this would/wouldn’t work at TBS.
3. TBS have so far said in bargaining that their on-call allowance will include 30 minutes work. The on call allowance in the Award subsidises  you for being on call, and does not include time worked. This is of concern.

Our community services are there to provide vital support to Australians in need. Every dollar of Government funding should go to supporting people in need – not profits for shareholders.

This is our chance, sign up below so that together we can take action and protect community services. Become a volunteer

If you want to take a look at the ASU submission into the Productivity Commission Inquiry, just click here.

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Submission in - now for ACTION

Posted by Lauren Hutchins · August 01, 2016 3:42 PM

Community services not for sale!

Posted by Neha Madhok · July 14, 2016 1:30 PM

Big business to profit from community services

Posted by Neha Madhok · July 13, 2016 9:35 AM

Mission Australia negotiations – member briefing

Our Progress from May negotiations

We discussed a whole range of outstanding issues, and have updates for members on the following:

• Personal leave – MA has agreed to an ASU proposal to increase personal/carer’s leave from 10 days to 12 days a year. MA have committed to one of those days to be used as a Mental Health Day. Your union is advocating that employee’s should have the option to use up to 2 Mental Health days. Management is considering our view.
• Family Violence Leave – MA have agreed to secure ASU’s Family Violence Leave clause in your agreement. However,MA has committed to only 3 days, we have asked for a minimum of 5. Management is considering our view.
• Parental Leave – MA have agreed to improving your currently outdated paid parental leave scheme by allowing staff to progress up the pay points whilst on parental leave. Your union’s proposal for 18 weeks after 12months has been rejected; we have now asked them for at least 12 weeks after 12months service. Management is considering our view.
• Hour bank – all employees will be able to access their up to date accrued hours on Hour Bank. MA has agreed to offer a choice of overtime or hour bank, with management approval. MA want to pay you when working those overtime hours at single time - we say overtime rates apply. Management is considering our view.
• Remote Location Allowance - Your union is trying to broaden the definition of remote location to include more areas in regional NSW. Management and ASU are considering which definition is appropriate.
• Professional development - Your union is seeking to recognise the importance of furthering employee’s skills through training and external clinical supervision in your agreement. Management is considering our view.

Pay

A Pay Offer from Mission Australia is finally on the table. To be clear, the pay offer works as follows:

• A 2.5% back pay increase backdated to 1 July 2015 (as employees haven’t had a pay increase in nearly 2 years)
• A 2% pay increase from 1 July 2016- 1 July 2017
• A further 2% pay increase on 1 July 2017- 1 July 2018 for each year of the agreement.

Feedback received so far from members has not been overwhelmingly positive to this offer. Make sure you tell your local delegate or organiser what you think of the pay offer, and we will give this feedback to management at our next meeting scheduled for June 14th/15th.

‘Your union knows fair pay means two things- keeping up with the cost of living but also getting paid the right rate for the work you do’

Classifications update

You told us that MA is not properly paying you for your skills. We know that MA’s practise is not consistent at times with our industry standards. 

• We are waiting on Management to update us regarding the immediate reclassification of many Level 1 and Level 2 employees. If you are a prospective member on either Level 1 or Level 2 join your Union and help us to help you.
• Your union believes Program Managers are incorrectly classified. Management have said they want to conduct a review of Level 5 employees classifications over the next 12 months. We say the evidence is clear particularly for Program Managers for medium to large centres.
• Your union is negotiating a fair, timely, independent and transparent process to review level 3 and 4 members’ classifications. This will take some time to properly review such a large cohort of members’ classifications.

Areas where Mission Australia are sticking to their position

• Community language allowance: Members have told us it is fair that employees who use a community language (to the benefit of Mission) get paid a small allowance for that.
• Workloads: management will be responding to our claim for a clause that would assist members manage their workloads, and discuss case/work-load pressures with their managers.

Management’s claim to reduce redundancy pay for employees aged 45 and over: ASU members have instructed us to oppose this claim, and we will continue to do so.

We still have some time to influence your employer, if you feel strongly about any of the remaining conditions left unanswered talk to your delegate or email, Monica Dos Santos.