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CSIRO bargaining kicks into gear with enterprise agreement negotiations set to commence

CSIRO bargaining kicks into gear with enterprise agreement negotiations set to commence

Major talks covering CSIRO pay, employment rights and working conditions are set to begin, with the Staff Association and Executive representatives due to kickstart the bargaining process for a new enterprise agreement.

The first round of negotiations follows a recent decision by Executive (not a union negotiated outcome) to apply a 3 per cent salary increase in November 2026 in order to shift the start date for the replacement deal and comply with the Federal Government’s new bargaining rules.

After more than twelve months of planning – including an extensive development process involving Staff Association members from across the country – our negotiators are preparing to table the union’s bargaining claim as a starting point for the campaign to improve CSIRO pay and job security.

Who represents you?

Earlier this month, CSIRO Executive announced the formal commencement of bargaining and released the Notice of Employee Representational Rights (NERR), a legal requirement under Australian workplace law.

Staff Association members are automatically represented in bargaining by the union and are not required to respond to the NERR notification.

CSIRO employees who are not yet union members are invited to join the Staff Association today to ensure their views are represented in EA negotiations.

Union claim

The Staff Association negotiation team, backed up by a network of bargaining representatives and workplace delegates, will present the union claim which is focussed on key issues and campaign priorities, as determined by members.

These include:

  • Wage increases – 5% in year one, 5% in year two and 5% in year three – that support the attraction and retention of employees, narrow the gap between CSIRO salaries and broader research sector, and ensure employees can keep up with the cost of living
  • Working conditions – protection and enhancement of existing enterprise agreement rights and conditions
  • Job security – strategies to reduce job losses and mitigate the impact of restructures, including strong redundancy, redeployment, and retention provisions
  • Executive accountability – encourage CSIRO Executive to engage in honest communication, maximum transparency and improved accountability especially when engaged in major organisational change
  • Genuine bargaining – on all pay and conditions matters, with all negotiations should be conducted in good faith, with the right of staff to be represented by their union.

Workplace meetings

Staff Association organisers are conducting a series of workplace meetings for CSIRO staff across the country covering the content of the union claim and explaining the next steps in bargaining.

Throughout the EA process, our negotiation team, bargaining representatives, workplace delegates and organisers will work hard to keep union members interested, informed and engaged in the campaign.

Join the union 

If you are not yet a member, join the Staff Association today and make sure your voice is heard on the future of CSIRO pay, job security and working conditions.

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