The Union Organiser July 2011

Magazine of the Australian Services UnionQueensland (Services and Northern Administrative) Branch

Queensland Services Union

www.asuqld.asn.au

WINTER 2011

Authorised by Branch Secretary, Kathrine Nelson

• Labour Day 2011 • Elections• Branch merger • SACS Pay Equity Rally

In this issue:

2 UNION ORGANISER WINTER 2011 WINTER 2011 UNION ORGANISER 3

ASUThe Union Organiser

www.asuqld.asn.au32 Peel Street (PO Box 3347) South Brisbane Q 4101President: Bob BallBranch Secretary: Kathrine NelsonAssistant Secretary: Jennifer ThomasActing Assistant Secretary: David PerryOffice Manager: Therese Stephan

ASU ConnectTel: 07 3844 5300Fax: 07 3846 5046Email: [email protected]: 38678 Toll Free: 1300 301 189ASU Connect Coordinator: Michelle RobertsonIndustrial Officers: Denis Ball, Michael NelsonGerard O'Gorman, Kegan Scherf

IndustrialIndustrial Services Coordinator: Neil HendersonSnr Industrial Officers: James Mattner, Rebecca Smith, Tneka Springett, Richard TarnawskiIndustrial Officer: Sandra Terera

OrganisingActing Lead Negotiator: Justine MoranRegional Coordinator South: David PerryRegional Coordinator North: Margie DaleSACS Coordinator: Holly PattersonLead Organiser (GOCs): Danny ReevesOrganisers: Christian Dickinson, Tim Frost, Anna Herzog, Catherine Laherty, Stuart Maggs, Kirk Rostock, Zach Walsh

North Queensland - Townsville

Organisers: Chiara Lennox, Julianne Mann,Steve Rodgers 485 Flinders St (PO Box 1048)Townsville Q 4810Fax: 07 4771 3460

Central Queensland - Rockhampton

Organiser: Janet Kelly110 - 114 Campbell St (PO Box 5160)Red Hill, Rockhampton Q 4701Fax: 07 4922 3919

South West Queensland - Toowoomba

Organiser: Peter RyanLevel 2 Trades Hall, 19A Russell St (PO Box 1619)Toowoomba Q 4350Fax: 07 4638 9133

Published by the Australian Services Union, Queensland (Services and Northern Administrative) BranchEditor : Kathrine NelsonDesign by: Therese StephanPrinted by : BluePrint Pty Ltd, 07 3879 8430

in Queensland Health, James Cook University and other worksites in Townsville, Cairns, and the towns in between.

Chiara has stepped into the organiser’s role with ease and is keen to continue to work with the members to grow the clerical and administrative membership. It is important to have strong, active members to grow the union and build strength in the workplace.

Our Qantas members voted up the new Qantas/ASU Enterprise Agreement. The agreement has been voted up overwhelmingly with 92.2% voting in favour of the Agreement. However, EB negotiations with Jetstar are not going well with Jetstar rejecting most of our claims. Negotiations have been ongoing for five months and Jetstar has been drip feeding information about their claims and unwilling to discuss our claims or give a real response. Now Jetstar wants to fast-track the meetings and are asking the National Negotiating Team to prioritise our claims. Our members have clearly stated that all the claims are important and all should be considered seriously.

News from North QueenslandEnterprise Agreement negotiations are well underway at many councils around the north, and this has kept our organisers Steve Rodgers and Juli Mann very busy. The organisers have a very busy bargaining schedule at present and have been travelling to various regional councils to negotiate new enterprise agreements and to consult with our members.

The negotiations at councils are progressing, however like elsewhere in the state, our North Queensland members have put a strong emphasis on employment security and fair wage increases and have resolved to campaign hard to have these claims enshrined in the new agreements.

Members' meetings are invariably held at the different sites and we encourage all members to attend when they are held. It is extremely important for membership input to their enterprise agreements.

Chiara Lennox is enjoying her training with Organising Works which takes her to Brisbane at least once a month. When Chiara is not in Brisbane she is out and about talking to the clerical and administrative members and non-members

It has been a fantastic and rewarding start to my first elected term as Branch Secretary of our union. On 13 April 2011 Jennifer Thomas and I were

elected unopposed together with our Executive team. Our elected Branch Executive members are:

Branch President - Bob Ball Branch Treasurer – Damian PowerBCC Branch Vice-President – Marg EvansEnergy Branch Vice-President – Phil WhittakerLocal Authorities Branch Vice-President – Lindy Henson and Marianne RyanNorth Queensland Clerical and Administrative Industry Division Branch Vice-President – Nikki BurrellPorts and Private Sector Branch Vice-President – Debbie McDonaldRail Branch Vice-President – Bill BattenSocial and Community Services Branch Vice-President – Penny CarrWomen Branch Vice-President – Ronnee MeachenYouth Branch Vice-President – Michael Hayworth

Additionally, members of the Industry Division Committee (IDC) have been elected. To find out who represents you on your industry IDC please visit www.asuqld.asn.au .

Jen and I look forward to continuing the fabulous work of our union with you and our Branch Executive over the coming four years.

ASU Connect Servicenow available to our new

North Queensland membersLet ASU Connect work for you!

CALL 07 3844 5300

An important part of the Branch’s service provided to you is ASU Connect. ASU Connect is a centralised phone service that allows all Branch members to receive specialist advice. When you call ASU Connect you will be offered 3 options to deal with your enquiry. These options are:1 - General For general information about our union, or to speak with an employee in the union office. 2 - Membership To join the union, or if your call is about your membership application, account details, paying your fees, or if you require a tax statement. 3 – Industrial This specialised service is for all members seeking industrial advice or information or who have a problem at the workplace.

ASU Connect works for you.

Branch Secretary's Reportby Kath Nelson

Our work will continue to be outside the bounds of our workplaces in the same way that the ASU Disaster Relief Fund provided members with much needed help following the recent flood and cyclone disasters. Our union assisted twenty-eight members, the majority of those who applied, in some way. One of those members was Cody Duschka. Cody was grateful for the assistance provided by our union in this uncharacteristic way. He said:

Moving into the 2011/2012 financial year membership fees have changed in the following way:

Paid by Payroll Deduction:$530.40 for full time adults – ASU and QSUDirect Debit Discount:$477.36 for full time adults – ASU and QSUTrainees and Associates:$1.50 per week

I look forward to visiting your workplace over the coming twelve months.

“Hi, I just wanted to email you and say a huge THANK YOU for your assistance by providing $500 Bunning's gift cards.

After the flood in January, we have been out of pocket by nearly $10,000.00 and with absolutely no help from our insurers (RACQ) we have had to suspend our mortgage to help pay for some of our lost items including hot water system, plumbing, electrical works as well as content items that are too many to mention.”—Cody and Vanessa Dushka


Labour Day is one of the big ticket events in our union’s calendar each year, with each and every year becoming bigger and better than the last.

Labour Day 2011 was no exception and again our members attended in droves to celebrate both the historical successes of the trade union movement in Australia and our current industry campaigns.

This year was a celebration of one hundred years of International Women’s Day. How appropriate considering our union’s significant Pay Equity Campaign on behalf of female members and their families in the Social and Community Services Sector.

Labour Day has become somewhat of an institution in Queensland and all who attended agree that it is a day the

whole family can enjoy. This year ASU/QSU members marched alongside other unionists in crowds which were estimated at 27,000 across the state.

Thank you and congratulations to all the members who attended rallies in their local area to show their ongoing support for the trade union movement and the principle of a fair go for Queensland workers.

Labour Day 2011


Pay Equity Rally

NoticeOn the 17th March the Branch Council of the Federated Clerks’ Union of Australia, North Queensland Branch, Union of Employees (“FCUNQ”) resolved :• That the Federated Clerks’ Union of Australia, North

Queensland Branch, Union of Employees (“FCUNQ”) amalgamate with the Queensland Services, Industrial Union of Employees (“QSU”).

• To authorise the Branch Secretary to: • make applications for exemption from ballot:

• on the basis of the relative sizes of the 2 unions; and/or

• on the basis that the federal counterpart bodies of the FCUNQ and QSU have amalgamated,

should applications for exemption be available pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act; and …• make other applications, either as the FCUNQ

or jointly with the QSU, as the Branch Secretary considers are necessary and appropriate to effect amalgamation.

The Branch Council of the FCUNQ has resolved to make application for an amalgamation ballot pursuant to section 64 of the Industrial Relations Regulations in relation to the proposed amalgamation with the Queensland Services, Industrial Union of Employees.

NoticeOn the 18th March the Executive of the Queensland Services, Industrial Union of Employees (“QSU”) resolved • That the Queensland Services, Industrial Union of

Employees (“QSU”) amalgamate with the Federated Clerks’ Union of Australia, North Queensland Branch, Union of Employees (“FCUNQ”).

• To authorise the Secretary to: • make applications for exemption from ballot:

• on the basis of the relative sizes of the 2 unions; and/or

• on the basis that the federal counterpart bodies of the QSU and the FCUNQ have amalgamated,

should applications for exemption be available pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act; and …

• make other applications, either as the QSU or jointly with the FCUNQ, as the Secretary considers are necessary and appropriate to effect amalgamation.

The Executive of the QSU has resolved to make application to the Commission for an amalgamation ballot pursuant to section 64 of the Industrial Relations Regulations in relation to its proposed amalgamation with the Federated Clerks’ Union of Australia, North Queensland Branch, Union of Employees (“FCUNQ”).The Executive of the QSU has resolved to make application pursuant to section 66 of the Industrial Relations Regulations for exemption from ballot for the amalgamation with the FCUNQ as the number of persons who can become members of the proposed amalgamated organisation is not more than 25% of the number of members of the QSU as at the date of application.

Course Location Date

All IndustriesIntroduction to trade union training

Rockhampton 24 and 25 August 2011


Mackay 12 and 13 October 2011

SACSIntroduction to trade union training

Brisbane 26 and 27 October 2011

Local GovernmentIntroduction to trade union training

Brisbane 9 and 10 November 2011


Cairns 16 and 17 November 2011

ASU Training Calendar August to December

2011Thousands of ASU members across Australia participated in a National Day of Action on 8 June, demanding full funding for fair wages for Community Workers.

In 2008, our union, the Queensland (Services and Northern Administrative) Branch of the ASU, paved the way for this national campaign with our Queensland Pay Equity case for Social and Community Services workers under the state industrial relations system.

As part of that Pay Equity campaign, two hundred ASU members rallied outside the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission in support of our Queensland case. In 2011, some 500 ASU members participated in National Day of Action activities across the state. The push for Equal Pay for the dedicated professionals working in the Social, Community and Disability Services sector has gained enormous momentum in just three short years.

In Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Mackay, Toowoomba and Townsville, SACS workers, clients and community members turned out to show their support for our national Equal Remuneration case and to call on the Federal and state governments to provide organisations with full funding for fair wages.

We are now very close to a final decision in our Equal Remuneration case, where we have already won recognition that the work that Social, Community and Disability Services workers do is undervalued and underpaid. Our National Day of Action sent a strong message to all state governments and the federal government that we will not

accept anything less than full funding for what our work is worth. ASU members are becoming stronger and stauncher in the view that the community sector should be fair for all – both for clients as well as for the workers who provide these vital services.

Next steps to Pay Equity• Conciliation between ASU representatives and

Government in Fair Work Australia. Our Branch represented by Kath Nelson.

• Lobbying of Federal Ministers and members in Canberra 21 and 22 June by ASU officials and members from across Australia.

• Federal Government’s submission due to Fair Work Australia 30 June.

• Other parties written submissions due to Fair Work Australia 21 July.

• Full Bench hearings 8, 9, and 10 August.

We will be in touch with members, asking you to assist our campaign in various ways.

Documents

The Union Organiser July 2011