Let the Games Begin!

Anyone who thought that a settled contract in PPS would result in a period of relative peace and quiet should immediately vacate Fantasy Island and move back to the real world. The ink is not yet dry on the new agreement and we’re already in dispute in respect of several different issues. The three areas of immediate concern are:

1. Unplanned Absences

It would appear that managers in most Institutions are not working to the spirit of the agreement reached in mediation and subsequently ratified by our members. CANZ has made a concerted effort to resolve what PPS describes as “differences in interpretation”, but we have now exhausted all informal avenues and we’re going back to the Employment Relations Authority! Accordingly, please record all apparent breaches of the agreed protocol and forward them to your CANZ delegate, who will pass them on to National Secretary Barry Noakes.

2. Acting Up Allowance

Everything was going along quite nicely in this area until an authoritative South Island figure threw the proverbial fly into the ointment. The jar subsequently overflowed and we’re now knee-deep in smelly stuff. The result is that past in-house informal agreements have been thrown out of the window and PPS are “adhering to the letter of the law”.

PPS’s current position is that;

• Officers who act up must do more than five consecutive days (in the past they have been paid act up allowance after having completed five days).
• The “more than five days” requirement must be met on each and every occasion that officers act up to a senior position.

CANZ’s position is that;

• Once an officer has met “the more than five days” requirement once, they should receive acting up allowance on each and every day that they act up in the future. The document contains no requirement for multiple qualification periods and we will therefore challenge this interpretation via the ERA.
• I would also remind you that five days is a long time to fill a more senior position with no reward! Be assured that acting up is not compulsory and whilst PPS is entitled to refuse to pay the allowance, you’re equally entitled to refuse to take on the extra responsibility.

3. Maximum Operating Capacity (Muster Levels)

I’m sure you’re all aware that we’ve reached danger levels in most regions in respect of institutional musters. This often means that pressure can be brought to bear on CANZ workplace delegates at very short notice when the crap hits the fan.
What usually happens is that local managers find themselves deep in the mire as a result of a total lack of forward planning and/or strategic thinking. They often attempt to extract themselves from this mire by bringing pressure to bear on workplace delegates in an attempt to gain agreement to breach the CEA provisions regarding musters.

Be aware that institutional muster levels form part of the provisions of the collective agreement. Accordingly, they can only be exceeded via a variation to the contract and this requires the sign-off of a National Officer or National Organiser! We have already experienced several breaches of this section of the CEA and we are taking the matter to the Authority at the end of October.

Please understand that this is a vital organisational issue for CANZ and we will not accept any more breaches in this area. The matter has already been before the courts and we are on very firm ground, but PPS are becoming so desperate that this doesn’t appear to deter them. However, the answer is very simple; the institutional muster level is a matter of record and to exceed it without a formal variation is illegal.

Institutional CANZ representatives do not have the delegated authority to vary the contract, so if site management apply pressure in an attempt to gain a concession, they are simply wasting their time. It is not your responsibility to contact the appropriate CANZ representatives – it is theirs. Accordingly, let the responsibility lie fairly and squarely where it falls – on the shoulders of management!

Regards,

Brian Davies
National Organiser