We’ve had our second bargaining meeting with Corumbene management to discuss your claims – things you want to change or add to your agreement.

We’re disappointed that Corumbene made some puzzling and unsatisfactory points at the meeting:

• They suggested that it’s acceptable to not pay a buddy allowance to employees buddying in new staff claiming that team leaders get extra pay. We pointed out that team leaders aren’t doing the buddying in and that staff actually doing the extra work would be left unrewarded.

• Corumbene are unsure of what staff get paid when working on public holidays. We told them that the industry almost universally pays 250% for work on a public holiday.

• They don’t support a portable long service scheme in aged care, even though they know existing schemes have proven successful

• Corumbene’s personal leave entitlement (13 days) is below the industry average in Tasmania, yet they couldn’t immediately commit to your claim for 20 days. Unbelievably though, they still found a way to knock back your claim for 14 days of pandemic leave. That means if there is ever another pandemic, your personal leave could be exhausted in one hit.

• We argued strongly that non-nursing parents should receive the same parental leave payments as nurses, but Corumbene haven’t even agreed to that.

• They indicated most of your claims were “under consideration” pending confirmation of the government funding HACSU’s 15% work value increase. They refused to make a wage offer until the government funding was known.

Despite Corumbene’s disappointing response to your claims, we will stand firm in our position and keep pressuring them to agree to give you fair pay and conditions.

We’ll meet again in three weeks and will update you after the meeting.

If you have any questions, please get in touch through HACSUassist on 1300 880 032 or assist@hacsu.org.au