Australian Security Workers Forum

Reply #7 - 19. Jul 2013 at 09:40

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Major Function

This is why Serco Sodexo want to muddy the waters with the definition of meal breaks and rest pauses in your EBA negotiations.

Now you know what sort of company you are dealing with. Bring the negotiations to a halt and vote the proposed EBA down. All workers would be better off working under their respective awards.

Ah! Working in Security where finding the real thief could be your employer. Now is the time to check your super account.

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Reply #6 - 17. Jul 2013 at 17:52

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Elica Jankuloska has held a permanent position as a cleaner with SSDS since 2006, and had her daily double shift cut from 12 hours to one 9.5-hour period, after a dispute over her leaving work early one day with her cleaner husband in February.
Mrs Jankuloska, who has cleaned Department of Defence buildings for 17 years, said she was told the change was because of the February incident. But Ms Ryan said when the union intervened, the company told it that it was for ''operational reasons'', not the early leaving.
The Queanbeyan resident has now launched Federal Court proceedings where she is seeking at a minimum about 10 weeks' severance pay or a permanent arrangement guaranteeing her last two hours each day, for which she currently receives extra overtime payments.

« Last Edit: 18. Jul 2013 at 18:54 by Major Function »

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Reply #5 - 17. Jul 2013 at 17:50

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Australia and the Pacific
Contract workers at Australian defence facilities demonstrate
On May 15, 50 contract employees of Serco Sodexo Defence Services (SSDS), from six Australia Defence Force (ADF) facilities in Australia’s capital Canberra protested outside the Royal Military College in a dispute over working conditions.
The United Voice (UV) union alleged that SSDS, which has held the local ADF services contract since 2006, breached national employment standards by not providing all shift workers a fifth week of annual leave. Workers, including cleaners, chefs and security guards, have also complained that security workers are prevented from taking meal or toilet breaks due to understaffing, and that modifications to existing rosters meant employees were unable to make long-term plans.

ACT News
Guards, cleaners to picket over cuts

Labor MLA, Yvette Berry.
Employees providing security and other services to Defence Force sites around Canberra will picket on Wednesday in protest against working conditions.
United Voice ACT branch secretary Lyndal Ryan said about 50 employees of Serco Sodexo Defence Services would gather at the Royal Military College over concerns including cuts to overtime hours, unsafe conditions and failure to provide leave entitlements.
Ms Ryan said the workers included cleaners, caterers and security guards, and believed recent cost-cutting by the company was connected with Defence service contracts being put out to tender last year.
''The contract is out to tender, and the cuts are so deep that it can only affect the service delivery,'' she said.
''This is a launch of a longer campaign if necessary.''
It is believed Ginninderra Labor MLA Yvette Berry was set to raise the issue during Tuesday night's adjournment debate.
United Voice alleges reductions in guard numbers at the Harman site have meant those remaining can no longer take meal or toilet breaks, while overtime hours have been cut.
Ms Ryan said that for almost 12 months the company hadn't had a safe method for transporting chemicals around Duntroon.
The union also argues changes to long-held rostering policies for caterers at RMC Duntroon and ADFA last year have cut any predictability, and that the company has breached National Employment Standards by failing to provide all its shift workers with a fifth week of annual leave.
Ms Ryan said she believed assessments in relation to the tender were occurring in upcoming months, and that SSDS had reapplied, but she had concerns of continued savings measures, with the relevant local contract in place until July 2014.
''It is a long time for people to be putting up with cost-cutting, and a long time for Defence to be accepting substandard services,'' she said.
Ms Ryan said she had put employees' concerns to the company's national human resource representatives three weeks ago.
Fairfax Media was unable to reach SSDS's chief executive or general manager of people and culture in calls before deadline.

« Last Edit: 17. Jul 2013 at 17:52 by Major Function »

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Reply #4 - 22. Mar 2013 at 09:58

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If the Serco is using this EBA to cover more than Defence Contracts then the EBA has to be assessed against the Security Services Industry Award 2010 and not the Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (Defence Contracting) Award 2002 [Transitional] with regards to the Better Off Overall Test when the Fair Work Commission comes to approve it.

If you go to the website pay calculator you can see the current pay scales for the different security levels. Click the different radio buttons in the spreadsheet for the different states and pay levels

See: http://ausecurityworker.com/Sec%20Serv%20Awd%20Calculator.xls

These pay levels are for 2012-2013 so your new agreement should have these pay levels as at the time of approval if approved before July 2013 other wise new pay levels come into effect after this date.

When it comes to pay increases in the EBA, the increases should have an annual increase expressed as a percentage increase for each year the agreement is in force, not the set dollar amount as in your current EBA. This means that if the agreement extends past its expiry date, then a pay increase automatically adjusts. As you can see by your current EBA, you are still receiving the 2011-2012 pay scale when anyone on the SSIA are now receiving the 2012-2013 pay scales. The percentage amount increase should be at lease 3%. Anyone working at the airports should receive 19c per hour airport allowance.

I cannot see why a person moving from level 2 to level 3 would have a pay decrease? Are they proposing different pay scales to the SSIA?

It is interesting that the SSIA has work descriptions in its classifications. It appears that Level 2 and Level 3 X-ray operators have the same description but one must have greater responsibilities.
Quote:

C.2 Security Officer Level 2
(e) monitor and act upon walk-through electromagnetic detectors; and/or monitor, interpret and act upon screen images using x-ray imaging and/or observation equipment, including in or in connection with airport security zones;
(i) conduct frisk searches of persons and screening using explosive trace detection including in or in connection with airport security zones.
C.3 Security Officer Level 3
(e) monitor and act upon walk-through electromagnetic detectors; and/or monitor, interpret and act upon screen images using x-ray imaging and/or observation equipment, including in or in connection with airport security zones.

The other question is why have Serco decided to reclassify some of the Airport security personnel when they have classified them as Level 2 in the past? Are Serco proposing changing the work classifications to those in the SSIA?

Don't forget, if Serco want to change pay and conditions which are different to the SSIA to their benefit, then the union or other reps should be pushing for changes which benefit the workforce. This is what is called Bargaining. Serco cannot have it their way.

Ah! Working in Security where finding the real thief could be your employer. Now is the time to check your super account.

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Reply #3 - 21. Mar 2013 at 16:54

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I hope you are right about coming under the Security Award. I will not tell anyone just yet.

The negotiations are still ongoing but now it is to include the Northern Sydney and Liverpool areas.

In the draft agreement the company has included security guards that work at airports on airside and landside in level 1 and security guards that operated walk through metal detectors and x ray machines in level 3. This is a drop from level 2 for the new level 1s and a rise from level 2 to level 3 for the x-ray operators.
This may sound minor but for new level 1s this is a drop of over a $1.00 per hour and a drop of over 50cents per hour for new level 3s.

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Reply #2 - 21. Mar 2013 at 10:38

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If they break the security services division, then all security employees come under the pay and conditions of the Security Services Industry Award 2010. The current EBA only applies to the conglomerate of other services which contract for Defence services.

BTW what is happening to negotiations on the new EBA?

Ah! Working in Security where finding the real thief could be your employer. Now is the time to check your super account.

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Reply #1 - 20. Mar 2013 at 05:17

Major Function Offline
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Workers Unite
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Recently I heard that our company Serco Sodexo Defence Services are breaking up part of their operation. The security section will be going it alone as SSDS Security and will tender for non military contracts.

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01. Jun 2011 at 18:50

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They have their own EBA, Serco Sodexo Defence Services Pty Ltd Garrison Support Central Northern NSW Collective Agreement. Pay less than State or Federal awards. Senior Management is very tolerant.

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