After months of delay, CSIRO Executive have finally tabled an initial pay offer during Enterprise Agreement negotiations.
Executive representatives have put forward a pay proposal of 11.2 per cent over three years (4% in the first year, followed by 3.8% and 3.4%) for consideration at the bargaining table.
Staff Association members are now encouraged to participate in a confidential online poll to measure support for the pay proposal and provide direction for union bargaining representatives in future negotiations.
The poll is open until 8pm (AEDT) Friday 20 October 2023 and is open to all Staff Association members. Non-members must join the union to participate.
Executive’s three year, 11.2 per cent pay proposal mirrors the offer made recently by the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) in service-wide bargaining negotiations with CPSU which ultimately failed to secure clear support from union members.
CPSU is now in the process of escalating campaign activities in Australian Public Service workplaces to increase pressure to improve the APSC offer.
The proposal put forward by Executive falls far short of the Staff Association’s pay claim of a 20 per cent increase over three years – 9% in year one, 6% in year two and 5% in year three – a position developed and endorsed by union members in response to historically high cost-of-living pressures and the impact of nearly ten years of wage suppression under the previous government.
Initial analysis suggests that Executive’s proposal will also struggle to address the systemic decline of CSIRO salaries in real terms that is affecting science delivery capability and the capacity of the organisation to attract and retain employees in a competitive labour market.
With the delayed pay proposal arriving six weeks before the nominal expiry of the current enterprise agreement, Executive bargaining representatives have admitted that it is ‘unlikely to have a new CSIRO agreement in place by then.’
However, Executive have also stated that the ‘APSC is proposing arrangements to mitigate the potential impact of any delays to pay increases as a result.’
The Staff Association’s position remains that CSIRO staff should not be financially disadvantaged should negotiations continue beyond the nominal expiry date of the current agreement, especially given the numerous delays in the bargaining process due to Executive’s approach.
The online poll is designed to measure levels of support among Staff Association members for Executive’s first pay offer. The activity is aimed at providing direction on the pay issue for union bargaining representatives in upcoming negotiations.
Members are being asked on a confidential, anonymous basis whether Executive’s pay proposal from is good enough or if we have to campaign for an improved offer.
The poll is open for two weeks and closes at 8pm (AEDT) Friday 20 October 2023.
Members are also invited to provide additional comment on Executive’s first pay proposal by email, or by speaking to a workplace delegate or organiser.
The poll is open to Staff Association members only. It’s a good example of how union members are provided with more choices and opportunities for their views and opinions to be represented in negotiations.
If you’re not a member and would like to participate in the poll, join the Staff Association today.
