Congratulations to all the members participating in protected action for the first time at the Tipping Foundation and Vista. Work bans began last week, and we are off to a flying start!

If you have any questions about the details of the bans, please call or email Assist on 1300 651 931 or 9340 4100 or assist@hacsu.asn.au .

At this time, it is important to remind members why we have escalated the campaign to take protected action.

HACSU members have been campaigning hard for the last two years. As a result, we have made significant progress in EBA negotiations and managed to agree on a number of clauses that will improve your working lives at the Tipping Foundation and Vista.

However, there are three key outstanding matters, which are not yet agreed. These three matters will have the most significant impact on DSW and the disability services and include:

• wages,
• the establishment of advanced DSW positions,
• and minimum shift length (also known as minimum engagement) for all staff.

Fairness and parity calls for minimum engagement/shift length is to be equal for permanent staff and casual staff. Tipping have agreed to three hours minimum engagement, but only for casual staff. This is not acceptable for HACSU members and this is why the vote was held to take protected action.

Currently, the Tipping Foundation pay DSW minimum wages. This includes the wage increase received every 1 July and 1 December. These wage increases are mandated, minimum rates of pay. The December increase, which is called the Equal Remuneration Order, is the result of a lengthy campaign by HACSU and other unions to recognise the pay disparity in community services. This increase will cease in 2020.

We are asking Tipping to use their funding bucket to pay workers above the minimum wage. We applaud Tipping for applying penalty rates to Vista employees in good faith before bargaining has finalised; however, much of the funding for this has come from increasing service price for the people you support, and not the Tipping bucket.

The entire package that the Tipping Foundation have costed at $3.9 million, is the cost of meeting the minimum standards by employment law (increasing casual loading to the minimum, applying shift allowances, public holiday penalties etc.).

HACSU is the union for disability support workers, supporters of families of people with disabilities and proud disability advocates. A decent EBA will not only reward hard working disability support workers, but it will help Tipping to attract and retain the best workers, thus improving the quality of supports offered to people with a disability.

Tell your colleagues to join HACSU today!