Where is the Campaign up to?

We started our campaign last year for a Youth Services Multi-Employer Agreement (MEA) to secure current and above Award conditions and to campaign to improve wages and conditions into the future by collectively working together.

Since the start of our MEA campaign our Union has made an application for a new State Award combining the Federal SACS and CASH Awards with improved pay scales (see PDF version of this joint statement for details). This application is currently progressing through the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. The Department of Employment & Industrial Relations as well as QCOSS and some employer groups are supportive of a new State Award for the Industry.

The Union believes a new State Award would establish minimum wages and conditions for workers within ‘non-constitutional corporations'. To improve upon these wages and conditions Enterprise Bargaining remains the best mechanism.  As such the Youth Services MEA should utilize the State Award as its platform from which to Bargain collectively.

Why do we still need a MEA?

We need to pursue a Youth Services MEA for two very important reasons:

1. The Youth Services MEA is the instrument to initiate Enterprise Bargaining to establish percentage based wage increase and collectively campaign for improvements to conditions.
   
   An Award simply establishes the minimum set of wages and conditions applicable. Unions make applications to adjust the wages within Awards to keep up with the cost of living. However the Unions experience is that flat dollar wage increases over time, are eroded as they fail to keep up with the rate of inflation.
   It is this that makes percentage based wage increases essential and these can only be delivered through Enterprise Bargaining and the making of the Youth Services MEA.
   
   
2. An MEA becomes a vehicle to give Organisations that are respondent to the Transitional Federal SACS Award access to the benefits of the new State Award prior to 2011.
   
   If your Organisation is a non constitutional corporation and currently a respondent to the Federal Transitional SACS or CASH Award you will have to wait till March 2011 for the State Award to apply or possibly fall back onto the minimum Australian Standards.
   
   By making a Youth Services MEA after the establishment of the new State Award this Award can be named as the applicable Award giving access to a better set of minimum conditions.

Portable Long Service Leave (PLSL)

Youth Services members identified PLSL as an important condition to establish in our MEA.  Our follow up on this issue indicated that it could not be facilitated by a third party, such as Q-Leave who administer PLSL for the Construction and Cleaning industries. This was because of the small number of members committed to the MEA and it would be a costly administration burden for Organisations to facilitate themselves.

Our Union is campaigning to establish PLSL for the whole industry in Queensland. Government have expressed a requirement for all employer organisations to be supportive of a PLSL scheme for such a scheme to occur. This has put a bump in the road with QCCI indicating that they objected and would oppose such a scheme.

The Government has now agreed to form a working party with Unions, employer organisations and government representatives to develop options for a model for PLSL within the industry.

While this move by the Government is welcomed it by no means ensures that PLSL will be delivered to the Industry.  The Union will continue to push the importance of PLSL for the industry and our members.

How Can We Make the New State Award a Reality?

Despite PLSL now being separate to our application for the new State Award the Union remains positive and believes strongly in the need to improve conditions and wages within the Industry.

Workers within the non government sector of the Industry give so much and selflessly promote the needs of the clients they support. Workers campaign for better services and improved rights for these clients. It is time for workers to draw attention to the work they do, its importance and relevance to the community. Energy needs to be harnessed and devoted by workers into promoting the necessity for better conditions and wages within the Industry to ensure the continuation of valuable and quality non government community services.

Workers can do this by joining the Union; acting collectively; giving life to the issues faced by workers within the Industry and participating in activities to promote the making of the new State Award. This simple action of joining the Union will demonstrate your support for improved conditions and wages within the Industry.

I Want To Be Involved, What Can I Do?

The Union will be campaigning around the application for the New State Award. In order for the campaign to be successful members must become involved within their workplace. Below are a number of ways that members can become involved in their workplace and thus support the campaign:

For further information contact:

Authorised and printed by David Smith, Branch Secretary, Australian Services Union
Ground Floor, 32 Peel Street, South Brisbane 4101
Phone: 3844 5300 / Fax: 3846 5046 / W: www.asuqld.asn.auwww.asuqld.asn.au.

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