Dear Member,
It feels good to be on the winning team. 2020 has seen some great wins for members across our Union.
So far, we’ve won approximately $10,328,000 back for members through collective campaigns and individual cases.
We’d like to share with you a bit about what has happened so far this year.
Right to Sick Leave Pay-Out at Hunter Valley Operations (HVO)
Members at HVO have won their right to have Sick Leave paid out on termination. This comes after their employer, a Yancoal/Glencore joint venture, had refused for years to even recognise that Staff had a Sick Leave balance.
Site Reps and members came together on the issue and collectively signed a petition. The overwhelming number of signatures forced the company to cave in. They now agree that Staff are entitled to Sick Leave, payable on termination, and have provided members with their Sick Leave balances.
This win means approximately $7,000,000 for members at HVO!
Sick Leave Pay-Out at Mount Thorley Warkworth (MTW)
Across the road from HVO, one of our members in the Mining Department at MTW recently had his employment terminated due to ill-health. In early 2019, our member had a serious back injury at work, and doctors told him he would never work again. Fast forward to now, and it was a shock for him to be told by Yancoal that they wouldn’t pay out his 1800 hours of accrued Sick Leave.
Our Union Legal Officer represented our member and told Yancoal that legally he was covered by the Black Coal Award. Yancoal backed down and agreed to pay-out our member his Sick Leave, worth about 9 extra months of pay for him and his family.
Long Service Leave Win for Contractors
In negotiations with Employer Groups, your Staff Union argued that our members who are employed by Contractors should have access to Coal Long Service Leave. This would make their LSL portable and accessible after 8 years.
Following intense negotiations, the Employer Groups have finally agreed to our claim, and now the legislative changes are before the Minister. This win also benefits direct hire employees, because if employers want to use Contractors, they will have to give them the same LSL entitlements.
Overtime Win for Casuals
A long standing dispute between your Staff Union and employers has been won by us in the Fair Work Commission. Your Staff Union argued that Casuals should get both their Casual Loading and Overtime Rates when working long hours, and the FWC has agreed with us.
Again, this win also benefits Permanent employees because it makes it more expensive for employers to try to casualise our industry. We continue to participate in the Award review proceedings at the FWC to make sure no conditions are reduced.
How do win? Staff Remuneration Survey
Your Staff Union is currently surveying members in NSW for our next Staff Remuneration Report. Once complete, our Report will show you how your salary and conditions compare with others in similar roles across the industry. This helps you and your Union negotiate better conditions. But first, we need the data…
Get in contact with your Staff Union to find out the date of your site’s Remuneration Survey meeting. Give us a call on 9269 0688 or email us at infocsd@pa.org.au.
In Union,
Catherine Bolger
Director
Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association
16 October 2020
