Negotiating
Whiriwhiri.
A key role that TEU activists can play is to support the strategic use of the negotiation processes involved in bargaining for a collective agreement (CA).
Collective agreements (CAs) are agreements between your employer and you (TEU as your authorised representative) which sets out pay and work conditions for workers covered in your workplace, and prescribe the ways key rights and entitlements that impact your work should occur (e.g. Leave entitlements, promotion criteria and processes, salary scales, hours of work, health and safety processes, organisational change processes).
Two actions you can take right now
- 1.
Obtain a printed copy of your collective agreement via the TEU website or your organiser and keep it handy on your desk. When members ask you a question about their rights regarding pay and conditions refer to the collective agreement (CA) as a first step.
- 2.
Now you have an accessible copy of your collective agreement, read it!
Think through any areas that could be improved to further progress pay and conditions.