By NICOLE VALICEK
STAFF from the Mind Australia site in Williamstown walked off the job for two hours last week after a recent enterprise bargaining offer was rejected unanimously by employees.
Australian Services Union organiser Leon Wiegard said ASU members had lost patience with the deliberately drawn-out process undertaken by management regarding the enterprise bargaining agreement.
“This stopwork action is being taken because Mind Australia refuses to bargain in good faith for a new enterprise agreement,” Mr Wiegard said.
Mr Wiegard said the ASU called on Mind Australia to come to the bargaining table in good faith and recommence negotiations from where they were left before management decided to stop bargaining.
“ASU members simply want to resume negotiations, reach a fair settlement that guarantees they will be paid their equal pay money and get back to work.”
Mind Australia chief executive officer Gerry Naughtin said they respected the right of staff to take industrial action, but claimed many of the accusations were false.
“Mind committed to good faith bargaining at the bargain table. The stopwork meetings will not change our position.”
He said Mind continued to provide the best pay and conditions of any mental health service provider in Australia.
Mr Wiegard said some outstanding issues included Mind Australia not yet agreeing to pass on the equal pay funding that was meant for their staff, a fair wage increase and a commitment to not remove staff rostered days off.
Mr Naughtin said Mind Australia had commenced paying additional wages in relation to the Equal Remuneration Order (ERO) as of December 2012.
“Mind has been a strong supporter for the need of pay equity in the sector and supported ASU’s ERO campaign in the past.”
Mr Wiegard said Mind Australia’s refusal to include a clause into their enterprise agreement to pass on the equal pay funding recently awarded to their low-paid, mainly female staff demonstrated their lack of any real commitment to the concept of equal pay.
“Let’s make it clear: it is not Mind’s money – it’s meant for their staff.”
