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Summer 2005

Red Cross Members Seek New Enterprise Agreement

HACSU members working in the Tasmanian Red Cross Blood Service are seeking a new agreement which will protect them from John Howard’s new industrial relations provisions.

Following membership meetings, members have put forward a claim that includes a significant wage increase and parcels up all their previous award conditions with provisions in the previous enterprise agreement.

Red Cross members have also elected workplace representatives, who have already undertaken some report backs on the progress of negotiations.

Key clauses in the claim include:

• an established career structure,
• specific provisions for casual workers,
• salary packaging,
• higher duties provisions,
• specified ordinary hours of work and over time,
• retention of all allowances,
• additional leave provisions, including personal, parental, maternity, paternity, adoption, long service, study and carers' leave, including provisions for casuals,
• holiday leave loading,
• qualifications allowances,
• the replacement of staff on leave, and
• redundancy provisions.

The claim also spells out the right of HACSU delegates to be treated fairly and to perform the role as workplace delegates without any discrimination in employment, and the right to be treated with respect and without victimisation by management representatives.

HACSU Industrial Organiser, Craig Stringer, said it was important members locked all existing conditions into the agreement.

"Virtually none of these conditions are guaranteed under John Howard's new industrial relations regime, so we have to lock them in."

Craig said members were hoping to have the agreement concluded before Christmas.