Silcar (Visionstream) Telecommunications EA update
Employees in Silcar Telecommunications (now part of Visionstream) are still waiting to vote on a new Enterprise Agreement (EA).
The agreement was due to go to employees for approval later last year but at the last minute the Visionstream, board decided to defer the process until it was given the green light by the ABCC – the federal government’s building industry watchdog. The ABCC vets all agreements involving “building work” for compliance with the government’s Building Code.
The delay has not been all bad news, however.
As a sign of good faith, Visionstream decided to pay employees the two 2.5% pay rises that were due under the agreement.
The company also subsequently proposed that the agreement be extended so that the parties didn’t have to start bargaining again almost as soon as the agreement was approved.
This has been agreed to be the CWU and other employee representatives.
The agreement will now to provide two further rises (2.5% or CPI, whichever is higher) and reach its (nominal) expiry date in December 2020, ensuring certainty about pay and working conditions for an extra two years.
The company has also agreed to include a new provision, allowing for purchase of annual leave, in the agreement.
