With Australian Public Service (APS) formerly kicking off for sector-wide bargaining next week (30 March), the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has unveiled a list of proposed common conditions to be considered during the bargaining.
Releasing the list, the APSC’s Workplace Relations Bargaining Taskforce said 48 proposed common conditions were formulated after significant consultation with APS Agencies.
“It will facilitate open and constructive discussions with unions and Employee Bargaining Representatives (ERBs),” the Taskforce said.
It said the intent of these discussions would be to agree on a set of common conditions to be reflected in all APS enterprise agreements.
The Taskforce’s list of proposed conditions includes: Common pay increase dates; Statement of respect at work; Casual conversion; Hours of work; Flexible working arrangements; Salary on promotion and commencement; Superannuation and many more.
Deputy Commissioner for the Workplace Relations Bargaining Taskforce at APSC, Peter Riordan said the list of proposed common conditions was ambitious.
“It reflects that we are entering this process with an open-mind,” DC Riordan said.
“I want this process to be a wide-ranging and meaningful discussion that considers the contemporary needs of our workforce, and the changing nature of the workplace,” he said.
“In addition to the proposed list of common conditions, service-wide bargaining will also discuss pay increases and a mechanism to reduce pay fragmentation across the APS.”
DC Riordan said the full list of proposed common conditions may not be resolved in the first round of service-wide bargaining, due to be completed by the end of July.
He said any conditions that remained unresolved would be reserved for future bargaining rounds.
“Those future rounds will benefit from the work and discussions we’re starting now,” he said.
The full list of proposed common conditions can be accessed at this PS News link.
