news - voting
Union Ranger - august 2011
This is an update on the topics of interest for AWU Ranger members for July and August 2011.
NQ Dispute
The formal dispute between the AWU members and DERM over ongoing bullying and harassment of members in the Wet Tropics Region is continuing.
Deputy President Swan travelled to North Queensland in June to gather more information and, as a result, has recommended the establishment of a communication forum, which will maintain management accountability, and will formulate discussions between the union members and management. The forum will consist of representatives from QPWS management, and AWU Organisers and workplace delegates. Initially the Commissioner will attend the meetings and has requested that the A/Director General Andrea Leverington also attend.
The AWU is calling for member nominees to sit on the forum as workplace delegates, although the format for the forum is still being finalised. Initially the AWU would like one representative nominated, as well as a proxy (or second) where possible, from each work base located at Innisfail, Cardwell, Tingira St Cairns, Ripple Creek, Tablelands, and Mossman.
The member nominees should be nominated by the members at their work base, by the 16th September: once finalised the nominees should contact Brendan Malone on 40520562 or Peter Gunsberger on Office 40611265 or Mobile 0407580085. Note that this is a vote between AWU members only: management reps and non members are not allowed to attend the meeting to decide the nominees. The names of the nominees will remain confidential until the forum is established.
If you require any assistance or information on nominating a representative please contact Brendan or Peter as above.
It is possible that not all representatives will sit on the forum depending on the final format; however it will be vital to have a contact at each work base to feed into this process to help improve management decisions. Depending on the format there may also be the possibility of rotating the attendance of delegates at the meetings.
The forum is an important part of resolving the issues in North Queensland and the AWU encourages members to be involved.
The AWU will continue to actively seek resolution to the concerns of its members in the north; however this will also require the participation of all members. Please support your local delegate during this time. There is still more work to do and only through the unity and support of members will the process be effective in improving our workplaces.
Deputy President Swan has reiterated her intent to attend the Wet Tropics Regional Forum and also her desire to return to visit further workplaces
Review of Casual Positions
At the last RIF meeting, held 8th August, QPWS informed the unions that the review of casual positions was complete.
The aim of the review was to identify and review the establishment and use of casual positions. Nine casual Ranger positions met requirements for permanent employment under the CPWEA. Staff employed as OO3 and OO2 casual Rangers will be offered permanent positions at the level at which they were employed on a casual basis
Two additional casuals are OO5 and OO4 respectively and cannot be offered permanent employment at this level. QPWS will create a OO5 and a OO4 position at the centres these staff are located at; the staff currently working as casuals at these levels at the particular centres will be encouraged to apply. If they are unsuccessful they will be offered a permanent OO3.
If any casuals refuse the offer of a permanent position, they will be offered severance payout. Some casual positions will continue to operate as before; for example Indigenous and spousal casual positions. These positions were not included in the review by agreement between unions and QPWS.
The recommendations from the report are currently being implemented by QPWS. This item will remain on the agenda until all recommendations are completed.
Ranger Industrial Forum
The last RIF meeting was held on the 8th August. Follow the link to the minutes for August 8 minutes of the meeting. The minutes show the topics of discussion between the unions and QPWS.
The next round of Enterprise Bargaining
The current Certified Agreement will expire in July, 2012. Negotiations for the next round of enterprise bargaining will start early next year. Now is the time to consider items to take to the negotiations. Please email your suggestions for items to rangers@awu.org.au.
If you would like to provide feedback, or would like any more info on these topics please email rangers@awu.org.au.
Have your say
A key factor is having a strong delegate network in the workplace that can provide the AWU with information from field staff. If your workplace does not have a delegate or you would like to know who your nearest delegate is, send an email to rangers@awu.org.au or phone 0429 059 014.
The members are the “union”
The more AWU members that are active within the QPWS, the more negotiating power rangers have. This means a safer, more prosperous workplace for all rangers. For more information on becoming part of the Australian Workers Union, please contact your workplace delegate or your AWU local organiser, or visit www.awu.org.au/rangers/ and down load a membership form.
To download copies of your Award and your current certified agreement, please visit and click on the “Know your Rights” section.
