The Company has proposed many changes to our agreement, most of which are not clear but certainly reduce conditions and impose extra work on the members at Castricum.

This Newsletter will attempt to summarise the changes the Company proposes, but that should not be regarded as a comprehensive analysis of all that is proposed.

Members would be aware that Castricum have made numerous different proposals over the past two years.

The principal changes are:

Hours of Work

1.     The permanent introduction of 10 hour day, 4 day weeks.

2.     The divisor for the calculation of overtime etc. will remain 38.

Rostered Days Off

3.     RDOs will be effectively cancelled and replaced by an equivalent increase in the weekly rate, or if nominated by the employee the money will be banked by the Company and paid on request to the worker when minimum weeks (ie 3 day weeks) are being worked.   Each year in September all unused accruals of RDOs will be paid out.  All current accruals will be paid out at the commencement of the new Agreement.

       (It should be noted that employees who take the option of banking the RDOs will not receive the benefit of the flow-on effect of RDOs being included in your weekly rate.)

Annual Leave

4.    The 17½% loading is to be part of your weekly rate.

5.    The Company will have the right to tell employees to take up to 3 weeks of your annual leave entitlement when it suits them.  If you have more than your full accrual of 4 weeks, the Company can make you take that leave on giving one week's notice.

Sick Leave

6.     The Company will uphold the right to have employees produce a doctor's certificate for any day off that can form part of an extended break.

Long Service Leave

7.      The Company has changed the qualifying period from 5 years to 7½ years for pro rata long service leave if you are retrenched, dismissed or retire.

 Public Holidays

8.     In the proposed Agreement any public holidays that fall within an employee's annual leave or long service leave will be paid for but not added to the period of leave, and all public holidays will be paid at a rate of eight hours.

Compassionate Leave

9.     It is proposed to reduce to reduce compassionate leave to up to 2 minimum days, where previously it was up to two ordinary days.

Absence for Illness or Injury

10.   The Company will require workers to get 'full clearances' (presumably doctors' certificates) after any absence for which injury or illness is claimed.

Drug Testing

11.   The Company will introduce random compulsory drug testing.

Redundancy

12.   The Company has altered the clause to enable them to offer you a job with the Company or another company, and thereby exclude you from any entitlement to redundancy payments.

Induction Training

13.   The Company has deleted the right of the Union to participate in induction training.

 Consultative Arrangements

14.   The role of the Union has been eliminated.

Right of Entry

15.   The existing clause which has never caused any problems has been altered to an unspecific clause that gives no definite right of entry to the Union.

Waiting Time

16.   Reduced by $23.59 per hour to $15 per hour.

Meal Allowances

17.   The Company has increased the qualifying period for the meal allowance from 1 hour overtime to 1½ hours overtime.

Make Up Pay

18.   Make Up Pay has been deleted.

Work On Time

19    Payments will be reduced as a result of the reduction in waiting time payments.

Consultation

20    The Company wants to introduce mandatory change without the right to equal participation in negotiations for the Union and the employees.

New Chiller

21.   Load in and offal packers will become time workers and lose their follow-on payments.

New Classification of Employees

22.   The Company will introduce seasonal employees and part-time employees and job share arrangements, and alter the provisions for casual employment.

23.    Casuals will be employed for up to 6 months prior to becoming permanent (the current provision is 3 days), and the casual loading will be reduced from 25% to 20%.  The Company wants to employ casuals under the terms and conditions of the Federal Award, not the Castricum Agreement.

Disputes Procedure

24.   The Company has deleted the Union's right to participate in the disputes procedure and in the warnings schedule, and the right to use the A.I.R.C. for a quick resolution to any unfair dismissal.

25.   The Company has introduced a provision for unlimited suspensions of employees and unlimited first and final warnings.

26.   The Company has diminished the protection of the previous continuity of service clause.

Boning Room

27.   There is no protection in the Agreement for any minimum payment for boning room employees.  This could affect payment for public holidays if employees work less than 40 hours in any week.

Shift Work

28.   The Company proposes to increase the qualification for overtime payments from 9 to 9.5 hours.

Wage Increase

The Company says it is offering boning room employees a wage increase of $25 on their 40 hour rate, plus the payment for leave loading and RDOs (for those who do not nominate to bank RDOs) in their pay. 

The hourly rate will also increase as a result of the divisor being 38 instead of 40.

On the kill floor the $25 increase is paid into the over tally payments on a sliding rate which will mean the full $25 will not be received in many circumstances.

The Company has been sent a copy of this newsletter.  If the Company believes the Union has not accurately portrayed the contents of the Company document, we invite them to state in writing what any such inaccuracies are prior to our intended General Meeting on Monday 9th February.

Bad things happen when good people do nothing