News
10.10.11
6 October 2011
AMOU DOES NOT SUPPORT PROPOSED PORT OF MELBOURNE CORPORATION
AGREEMENT
The proposed Port of Melbourne Corporation Enterprise Agreement
2011 is not supported by The Australian
Maritime Officers Union and it does not represent
"the combined wishes and input of PoMC employees across
the business".
The proposed agreement will severely disadvantage the members
employed as Senior Vessel Traffic Service Officer and Vessel
Traffic Service Officer [S/VTSO] at the Vessel Traffic Service
Centres in Port Melbourne and Point Lonsdale.
The AMOU, negotiated a 4.25 % per annum wage
increase. The POMC has unilaterally imposed "an annual
salary increase of 3.8% per year and additional salary incentive of
0.45% per year linked to business targets".
The POMC argue that they have delivered on a "range of work/life
balance and staff benefits including flexitime and extended break
provisions", this is a non-sense; they have basically incorporated
what was existing policy into the Agreement.
The POMC argue that that they have delivered on "new operational
efficiencies" these so called efficiencies DO NOT BENEFIT
STAFF, THEY BENEFIT THE POMC. Previously members enjoyed
the following entitlements:
- 40 days annual leave balances before being forced to take
leave; now it is reduced to 35 days.
- Long Service Leave was payable after 4 years of service; now
employees must be employed for more than 7 years.
- The S/VTSO Officers currently work a roster that commenced on
the 1 January 2005 in accordance with the 2004 Agreement. The
roster is scheduled to expire on the 16 February 2013. This roster
enabled the SVTSO to have 7 cycles of 424 days, providing 14 leave
periods of 27 days and the VTSO of 11 periods of 24 days and 1
period of 28 days. Under the proposal, none of the S/VTSO know when
they will they will be on duty or leave in 2012 let alone 2013.
There is no work life balance for these employees.
- Furthermore, the custom and practice for many years and
agreed with by the previous Harbour Master, was the S/VTSO worked
an additional 15 to 30 minutes each shift to ensure that a proper
handover took place between each shift. In addition to
meeting the operational requirements, it also ensured that the
S/VTSO worked a 35 hour week. Now the POMC has claimed that the
S/VTSO, work only 12 hours and therefore owe 56 hours per
year.
- The introduction of a 38 hour week for new VTSO staff
will mean that a VTSO will not owe 56 hours, but an additional 141
hours or near on 16.5 days - how are they going to achieve any work
life balance.
The AMOU has successfully made an application to
take protected industrial action.
Senior Vessel Traffic Service Officer and Vessel Traffic Service
Officer intend to take the following industrial action from Tuesday
11 October 2011:
Stoppages to
take place at the following times and location:
- 0600 and 1800 hours at Port of Melbourne VTS centre on
Tuesday 11 October 2011,
- 0600 and 1800 hours at Port of Melbourne VTS centre on
Wednesday 12 October 2011
- 0600 and 1800 hours at Port of Melbourne VTS centre on Thursday
13 October 2011
- 0600 and 1800 hours at Port of Melbourne VTS centre on Friday14
October 2011
** no communication to and from the Port of Melbourne
Corporation when off site.
** no acceptance or trailing of any new operational
matters.
** no attendance of any meeting as directed by the Port of
Melbourne Corporation.
** no information will be entered into the "port view"
system inside the two hour ship movement timeframe.
** no information will be entered into the "port view"
system.
The AMOU is appalled that the POMC has seen fit to make
unilateral changes to our members working arrangement without any
regard for the existing working arrangements or the impact that
these changes will have on the work life balance of our
members.
If you require further information please do not hesitate to
contact Jan Thompson on 0417 050 816