A brief summary of why we should vote NO to the Agreement

A brief summary of why we should vote NO to the Agreement:
1. 1. For most salary classifications the 2011 salary is about $10 above what it would have been under the “joke” 3.25% deal.
2. 2. This is less than inflation (4.2%) and leaves us in a very weak position from which to negotiate the Agreement for 2012 and beyond.
3. 3. The union’s 5.2% minimum figure is a sleight of hand! See point 1 and PTO.
4. 4. Only G1s and E4s will be better paid than NSW. All otherclassifications are behind, by up to $13,000.
5. 5. G3s go to the same salary as G1s with 2 years less experience, and will progress exactly the same up the pay scale forever. LT2s, too.
6. 6. People whose increments move from January to May will get no compensation in 2010, 2011 or for the rest of their careers.
But for me the biggest reason is the incredible spin campaign of the union.

All points above are downplayed by the union and points 3 and 4 relate to a massive degree of deliberate deception of union members by union officials. This is grounds to vote NO, and grounds to kick Brumby and Bluett out!
Russell T. Edwards
PTO for details on the above points.
Further explanation on points above: .
1. Example:E1 currently: $61539E1 May 2011 under Agreement: $69946E1 May 2011 under 3.25% yearly rises: $69934
.Difference: $12 2.
2. If we have to fight for big rises just to catch up on ground we lost from 2008—2011, trying to actually break new ground will be next to impossible. .
3. The actual underlying percentage increase for most classifications is 13.66%. Compare to 13.65% for the 3.25% deal. .The union’s 5.2% figure comes about by the following calculation: (2011 salary + 2008 bonus – 2007 salary)/3 . Note, it includes the 2008 bonus as a part of 2011pay! And, it divides by 3 years when the Agreement stipulates no more pay claims for 3.6 years. 3.
4. G1s and E4s will be better paid than NSW only by a few hundred dollars, and only for a few months until the new NSW agreement comes out. All other classifications are at least $1500 short, most are in excess of $5000 short, and the worst is $13000 short. 4.
5. This is because G1 and G2 are abolished. G4 and above see the same problem to a lesser degree, only getting one extra increment’s worth of reward for more two years’ worth of extra experience. LT2-1s and above also cop it, with LT1-1, LT1-2, LT1¬3 going to the same pay as LT2-1. 5.
6. Example: Mary normally increments January 1st. In 2009 she has to wait an extra 5 months to go from A1 to A2, a pay rise of $1630. In so doing she misses out on 5 months of extra pay, or $679. But, she gets paid exactly this amount in May as compensation.
However, she takes a similar hit in 2010 and 2011 with no compensation. She has to wait until May 2010 for her rise of $1720. She misses 5 months of extra pay or $716. A slightly larger loss occurs in 2011, and she will enter all future agreements 5 months behind on the progression scale.

Russell Edwards