Optus EPA discussions begin
The first meeting between the CWU and Optus to discuss a new Employee Partnership Agreement (EPA) was held on Friday 14 August.
This was very much a preliminary meeting which dealt with largely with administrative matters such as agreement on observing good faith bargaining principles and setting a timetable for meetings.
It was agreed that we would aim to reach agreement in time for any new agreement to be approved by the time the current EPA reaches its nominal expiry date on 3 December this year.
The CWU anticipates that, at a minimum, the new agreement will reflect the changes made to the underlying award –now the Optus Award 2015 – made as a result of the award modernisation process.
As reported in earlier E-bulletins, these include enhancements to night shift allowances, a clear limit to the number of ordinary hours that can be worked on any one day (10) and specific provisions for the performance of higher duties.
The CWU will also be pursuing a number of further claims including enhancements to current redundancy entitlements and introduction of domestic violence leave provisions.
The CWU is still receiving feedback from Optus members about issues of concern which they would like to see dealt with in this round of negotiations. Contact your state branch now if you want input into discussions.
