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Visionstream (Silcar Telepower) agreement update
Negotiations are continuing for a new agreement to cover employees in what was the Silcar Telepower Group, now part of Visionstream/Ventia.
The CWU and other individual employee representatives met for a full day face-to-face negotiating meeting on 10 February.
Discussions focussed around the following unresolved issues:
- Shift provisions. Employees are concerned that the company may force them onto shift arrangements where none currently exist. The CWU has proposed a clause that would ensure that shift work was voluntary.
- On-call. Management want to introduce on-call provisions into the EA. Employees are concerned this may undermine current recall conditions. Progress is being made on this issue but no final agreement has been reached.
- Classification structure. Management wish to introduce a new structure and a policy which would allow employees to be downgraded from their current positions if they do not meet certain skills requirements in a set period. Discussion of this controversial proposal is still at an early stage.
- Consultation. The CWU is seeking to strengthen the consultation (major change) clause to allow consultation to take place before final decisions are made by management.
There has been no discussion of pay rises yet but the CWU anticipates this will be on the agenda for the next meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday 23 February.
