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FSU Member Services
1300 366 378
April NewsletteroftheFinanceSectorUnionofAustralia,NSW/ACTBranch
bitesExtra relief at NAB
Get the most from your membership...Groceries/Petrol|Leisure|Dining|DiscountShopping|Legal|Financial|CareersCentre|Travel
Authorised by Julia Angrisano, Acting Secretary, NSW/ACT Branch
StaffatWestpacKogarahbranchledbyFSUWorkplaceRepMarciaByrneshaveovercometheir“privatelittlehell”andwonagainst“awful”workplacebullying.
Staffattheworkplacewerethreatenedwithinstantdismissalforthemosttrivialmattersorthingssuchasnotbalancingbyacertaintime.Staffwerealsoinstructedtodothingstheyknewwereagainstbankproceduresoitcouldbeusedagainstthemtothreatentheiremploymentatalaterdate.
Aswell,staffweretakenasidealmostonadailybasisintooneononemeetingswheretheywerethreatenedandintimidated.
Theconstantbullyingandharassment leftstaffat thebranch feelingfearfulandintimidatedasFSURepMarciaByrnesdescribes:
“Thebehaviourofthepersoninquestionwasquiteawful”,saidMarcia.
“Thefearandintimidationtacticswereoverthetopandfornoapparentreason.Mostofushadouremploymentthreatenedatsomepointoranother”,shesaid.
“Somestaffwerehavingpanicattacksandnotabletoentertheworkplacebecauseofthefearofwhatthedaywouldhold”.
“WeallforaperiodoftimeweregoingthroughourownprivatelittlehellanditwasatthatpointIdecidedsomethinghadtobedone”,saidMarcia.
Marcia suggested everyonemeet out ofworking hours to comparenotesanddiscussthesituationasitwasquiteimpossibletotalkintheworkplace.
“Weallgottogetherontheweekendanddiscussedthesituationandmadeaveryconsciousdecisiontoallsticktogether,supportoneanotherandenlistthehelpofourUniontoprotectourselves”,saidMarcia.
“Oncewe contactedFSU, an organiserwas sent to ourworkplaceimmediatelywhogaveusadviceonthespotaboutwhattodoandhowtodocumenteverythingthathadbeenhappeningtous”.
“Wedid that together and sent it to theUnionofficeandFSULeadOrganiserJoanneCopperapproachedtheAreaManageronourbehalf”,shesaid.
“Ameetingthentookplacebetweeneveryoneatthebranchasagroup,theAreaManager,FSUandHRwhereaninvestigationfollowed”.
“To the bank’s credit they acted swiftly to resolve the issues to thesatisfactionofall staffand thepersonconcerned isno longer in theworkplace”,saidMarcia.
Ifyou’reexperiencinganythingsimilartowhatMarciaandthestaffatherworkplacedid,contactFSUimmediatelyanddiscussyoursituation.Byworkingtogether,bullyingandharassmentcanbeovercome.
FSUStaff stick together and win against bullying
FSURepMarciaByrneswithFSUmemberSharynMagner
FSU Contact Details
NSW/ACT Executive
Ph. 1300 366 378 Fax. (02) 9320 0099 Email:[email protected] Web: www.fsunion.org.au
The NSW/ACT Executive is made up of finance industry workers and is thegoverning body of FSU in NSW & the ACT.
MultipleEmployersMemberCouncilAmy PatrkMembersEquityPh.0282960321
CommonwealthBankMemberCouncilLouise ArnfieldCBAWestGosfordPh.0243245484
WestpacMemberCouncilCarolyn BlackburnWBC60MartinPlacePh.0282544744
NABMemberCouncilDale MillsNABLakeHavenPh.0243933429
MidSizedBanksMemberCouncilGreg OwensSt.GeorgeKogarahPh.0299523331
ReserveBankMemberCouncilMarc BamptonReserveBankPh.0295518963
ANZMemberCouncil&NSW/ACTPresidentJoy BucklandANZLearningServicesAustraliaPh.0466151870
InsuranceMemberCouncilKim BryantIAGWollongong0242224649
FSUNSW/ACTBranchSecretaryGeoff DerrickPh.1300366378
Julia Angrisano, Acting Secretary NSW/ACT BranchbitesFSU Secretary’s Report
LastmonthwecelebratedInternationalWomen’sDayandalthoughitwasatimetorememberthegreatworkdonebyandforwomeninaddressingthegenderpaygap,thereisstillalongwaytogo.IheardSharronBurrowontheradiosayingthatoveralifetime,amanonaveragecanexpecttoearn$1milliondollarsmorethanhis‘sister’doingthesamejob.Thisisastartlingfigure.Italsoillustratesoneoftheproblemswiththisissue,that40yearssinceitbecameillegaltopaymenandwomendifferentratesofpayfordoingthesameworkorworkofthesamevaluethatthegenderpaygapstillexistsin2010.
SharronBurrow’sfigurewasbasedontheaverageAustralianindustrypaygapof17%;inthefinancesectorthegapismuchwiderat28%.
Sowhyisitmuchworseinfinance?Whydowomenonaverageearnjust72%ofmen’searning?Therearesome factorswhicharepeculiar to thefinanceindustry.Theseinclude:
• Marketandperformancebasedpay,
• Womenandmeninjobswhicharevalueddifferently,forexamplemaledominatedsalesjobsearnhigherbonusesthanfemaledominatedservicesjobs,
• Farmorewomenthanmenworkpart-timeorreturnto‘familyfriendly’butlowerpaid,parttimeroleswhenreturningtoworkfrommaternityleave,
• Alargeamountofunpaidovertimeisworkedinunderstaffedretailbank-ing–anareawhichisdominatedbywomen.
Equal Pay AllianceThenewlyformedEqualPayAlliancerepresents150Australianorganisationsincludingbusinesses,unionsandcommunitygroups,whohavejoinedtogethertopursuepracticalactiontoensurewomen’sworkisproperlyvaluedandthattheinequityisbroughttoanend.
FSUworkplace representatives, LouiseArnfield (FSUCBAMemberCouncilPresident),MichelleMunnandMaureenWeeks(CPSCreditUnion)allattended
thelaunchoftheEqualPayAllianceinCanberraon11March.LouiseArnfieldwas able to discuss issues faced bywomen in the finance industry duringmeetingssheattendedwithSenatorJacintaCollinswhohasresponsibilityforWork,FamilyandPayEquityandMPSharronJacksonwhochairedtheHouseofRepresentatives Inquiry intoGenderPayEquity.This inquiryhasmadeanumberofrecommendationssuchastheestablishmentofaPayEquityUnitinFairWorkAustraliawhichwouldhaveasignificantimpactinthefinancesector.
FormoreinformationontheEqualPayAllianceorhowyoucangetinvolvedinourcampaignforequalpaygotowww.http://www.fsunion.org.au/Campaigns/Workplace-Campaigns/Pay-Equity/Equal-Pay.aspx
Pay Equity – closing the gap by valuing women’s skills.
LouiseArnfield(FSUCBAMemberCouncilPresident)andMichelleMunn(FSUWorkplaceRep-CPSCreditUnion)
April sees extra relief staff at NABReliefnumbersinNAB’sretailbankwillincreaseby36%afterconstantpressureandcollectiveactionbyNABFSUmembers.
StaffingwasoneofthemajorissuesthebankfailedtoaddressinnegotiationsforanewCollectiveAgreementduring2009thatsawthestaffballotsplitalmost50/50,forcingthebanktoreviewitsposition.
FollowingareviewandnewdiscussionswithFSU,NABcommittedtosignificantlyincreasethenumberofreliefdayseachyear.
Thisnumberwillincreasetheaveragereliefallocationperfulltimeequivalentemployeeinthenetworkbyanadditionaleightdays.ThiswillaccountfortheaveragenumberofRDOsandpersonalleavedaysperpersonperyear.
NABhasestablishedateamtoimplementtheincreasetoreliefnumbersandFSUwillmeetregularlywiththisteamtomonitorprogress.
However,asAileenGallagherfromtheFSUNABMemberCouncilsays,it’sveryimportantforNABstafftomonitorthesituationintheirownworkplacethemselvesandreportproblemstoFSU.
“ThroughouractionswegotNABtolistentoourconcernsandwonextrareliefstaffbutnowisn’tthetimetotakeoureyeofftheball”,saidAileen.
“Asimplementationofthenewreliefmodeltakesplace,itisuptousonthefrontlinetomonitorthesituationandmakesurethatwhathasbeenpromisedisbeingdeliveredandworkswithinourworkplaces”,shesaid.
“Ifyouthinkit’snotgoingwell,orarehavingproblemswithrelieforthenewmodel,makesureyouraiseyourconcernsimmediatelyviayourlocalworkplacereporcontacttheFSUMemberRightsCentreon1300366378”,saidAileen.
NewsbitesFSU
FSU Active:For the period 1 Jan - 31 March$1,412,416recoveredonbehalfofFSUmembers5225callstotheNSWOffice596newcasesopenedonbehalfofmembers619casesresolvedforFSUmembers706workplacevisitsbyOrganisers
FSUNABMemberCouncilRepAileenGallagher
$1995.86 recovered in overtimeCBACastleTowersShoppingCentrebranchstaffhavebeensuccessfulinrecov-ering$1995.86owedtothemafternotbeingproperlypaidforworkingovertime.
Staffatthebranchwereoftendirectedbytheirmanagertostaybackandworkwithoutanymentionofbeingpaid.Whilethestaffagreenoonemindsworkingbackoccasionally,doingitallthetimewithoutbeingpaidisn’ton.
Theamountofunpaidworkpeopleinthebranchweredoingbecamedifficultforpeopletocontinuewith.
Someofthestaffhavesmallkidsandstayingbackalmosteverydaywasreallyhard,particularlywhenpeoplejustwantedtogethometotheirfamilies.
ThingstookaturnforthebetterwhenFSUOrganiserJenniferButschekvisitedthebranch.
ThestaffapproachedJenniferasagrouptotalkabouttheproblemswithworkingextrahoursandnotbeingpaid.
FSUthencompletedatimeandwagesinspectionatthebranchandsubmittedthatclaimtothebankwhichwasapproved.
Withstaffhavingtheiroutstandingovertimepaidandnolongerrequiredtosaybackonaregularbasis,FSUworkplaceRepAlkaSinghhasonemessageforanyotherstaffwhofindthemselvesinasimilarposition.
“Goaheadandraisetheissues”,shesaid.
“Iknowsometimesitcanbeabitscarytoraisethingsbutgoaheadanddoitandremember,ourUnionistheretohelpandyouwon’tknowwhatcanbeachieveduntilyouhaveago”,saidAlka.
FSUWorkplaceRepAlkaSingh(l)withFSUMemberNimishaMankad(r)
TwoFSUteamswilltakepartinthisyear’sMother’sDayClassicandwe’dloveasmanyFSUmembersaspossibletojoinus!TheMother’sDayClassicisagreatfundaythatraisesfundsforaveryworthycause,theNationalBreastCancerFoundationresearchprograms.Youcanregisteronlineand joinoneof theFSUteamsatParramattaortheDomainatwww.mothersdayclassic.com.au/register-onlineLookfortheFSUonthedayandwe’llseeyouonSunday9May!
Training the key for PeterAttendingFSURepstraininghasprovedinvalu-ableforCBAFSURepPeterLazellinhisroleasFSURepatCBA’sOlympicParksiteandhe’sencouragingotherstostepupandcompletethetrainingaswell.
“IthinklikealotofpeopleIcouldseetheneedforsomeonetotakeontheroleofFSURepatmyworkplacebutIwasreallyunsureofhowtogoaboutitandwhatwasinvolved”,saidPeter.
“The training providedmewith not only theknowledgeand resources I needed, butmostimportantly the confidence to go forward andtakeontherole.It’salsogoodtoknowIhavethebackingandsupportofourUnionifIneedit”,hesaid.
“KnowingI’vecompletedthetrainingstaffnowcometomewithquestionsorconcernsaboutworkplacemattersandIthinkmanagementalsoappreciatesomeoneknowledgeablefieldingthosequeriesandgivingcorrectadvicewhichisreallysatisfying”,hesaid.
ThetraininghasalsoledPeterintootherrepresentativerolesandhenowsitsontheNationalOccupationalHealthandSafetyCommitteeasastaffrepresentativeandisalsothefloorwardenforhisfloor.PeterisalsoamemberoftheCBAFSUMemberCouncilinNSW.
“Ifyou’rethinkingaboutsteppinguptobecomeaworkplacerepandcompletethetraining,orjustwanttoknowmore,I’dhighlyrecommendyoucontactourUnionandtalktooneofthestaffaboutattendingatrainingcourseorjustgoaheadandfillouttheregistrationform”,saidPeter.
CoursesareruneachmonthintheUnionofficeandFSUwillapplyforpaidtrainingleaveforyoutoattend.Datesfortheremainderof2010areavailableontheregistrationflyerincludedwiththehardcopyofFSUBitesoronecanbedownloadedonlineathttp://www.fsunion.org.au/Upload/workplace%20representatives/2010/reps%20training%20flyer%202010_nswact1.pdf
NewsbitesFSU
That’s hard to wear
Members at a particular bankbrancharebeingforcedtoweara“negativitybracelet”.Evidentlystaffmustwearthisbraceletasaformofpublicshameiftheyareseenasnotperforminguptostandard!
No need to get stressed!
Atabranchwhereunderstaffingisamajorissue,thestaffwerediscussinghowstresscanbeafactoratworkandcanalsoaffectthe customer experiencewhen theman-ager stopped the discussion point blankandsaidthathedidn’twanttohearaboutstress.Themanagerwent on to say thatstressdidn’treallyexist,exceptinpeople’sheads!FSUBitessuggests thatmanagerfamiliarise themselveswith the countlessmedicalstudiesdoneovertheyearsaboutthephysicalandmentaleffectsofstress.
Satisfied?Anemployerwhoputoutastaffsatisfactionsurveydecidedthebestwaytogetstafftofillinthesurveywastoputonanicelunchandgeteveryonetofilloutthesurveystogether,despitethefactthesurveysaresupposedtobeanonymousandindividual.Wethinkat leastmanagementwere satisfiedwiththeresults!
Networking?Amember from an insurance companywhowasdoinga lotofovertimewas toldthatitdidn’tactuallycountasovertimeandwouldn’tbepaidbecauseitwasreallyjust‘afterhoursnetworking’.
bitesFSU
Gossip!
Make this Mother’s Day a Classic!
In1998agroupofwomeninthe superannuation industrystarted the first twoMother’sDayClassiceventsinSydneyandMelbournebysettingupa fun run andwalk to raisemoney for National BreastCancer Foundation researchprograms.
Frommodest beginnings theMother’s Day Classic hasgrown intoAustralia’s largestcharity event, with a record80,000 people taking partin 2009. From families andfriends,schoolsanduniversitygroupstheeventencouragesthewholecommunitytowalkorrunandtakestepstofindingacureforbreastcancer.
