Torres Strait Island Regional Council Bargaining Update: Positive Start to Negotiations

The Services Union met with Torres Strait Island Regional Council earlier today to commence discussions regarding your new Certified Agreement (CA). It has been a long time coming but we have gotten off to a promising start.

All parties to the CA including Council tabled their log of claims today. Each party was able to talk to each individual claim and explain the context behind the claim. 

Highlights from today’s meeting:

  • Our Union’s claim for a 9-day fortnight is being taken seriously by the Council and we look forward to discussions at upcoming meetings to explore this.
  • Council has agreed to our claim to access Long Service Leave after 7 years (pro-rata) and we will work with the Council on draft wording for the new CA.
  • It was agreed by all parties that we need to look at how on-call arrangements work at Council, ensuring that those entitled to it receive it. There was also a willingness to look at an improvement to the on-call daily rate.
  • There was agreement from Council to look at further flexibility around cashing out annual leave.

The sticking points for this bargain have become very clear even after the first meeting. While Council’s initial offer of 3.5% each year is a good starting point, our union made it very clear that we need to ensure that those members on personal classifications are also going to be covered by this increase and any improved offers going forward. The other clear sticking point was our Union’s claim for a locality allowance, something that TSIRC has been reluctant to agree to in the past.

It is early days in the bargaining process, and we will be meeting with Council again within the next three weeks, but if you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact our Union representatives at the bargaining table: Kathy Cochran, Pat Whittington or Union Organiser Tom Rivers.

High Union membership is the best way to send a strong message to Council that you need and deserve better from your employer. Encourage your colleagues to join here.