Join our special HSU member meeting this Wednesday at 12pm and 6pm to discuss Warrigal’s pay offer – see details below

Your HSU bargaining team recently met with Warrigal management about your new enterprise agreement. We tabled HSU members’ claims, which call for at least a 5% wage increase, better staffing levels and improvements to conditions to support staff. You can view copy of your HSU claims here.

Warrigal also discussed their proposal for the new enterprise agreement. Warrigal are proposing a single enterprise agreement for Residential Care and Home Services staff across all their sites that brings pay and conditions into line across the organisation. Warrigal are also proposing to maintain a separate enterprise agreement for Support Services staff with negotiations to take place separately – see below for more information.

Warrigal’s pay offer

Warrigal’s proposal would see classifications across their three current enterprise agreements ‘matched’ and then lifted to the highest rate. While this will equalise pay rates across agreements, it means that staff will get significantly different pay increases, based on their starting point. The HSU understand that the pay increases would range from 0.9% to 15.4% in the first year.

Warrigal are then proposing pay increases of 3% per annum for all staff in years two and three of the enterprise agreement.

The HSU also understands that some staff are currently paid higher than the ‘harmonised’ rate of pay. Warrigal are proposing to maintain those higher rates of pay – but to effectively freeze employees at that rate – meaning they would not receive pay increase until the pay rate of their classification catch up to their current rate of pay.

Warrigal are also proposing that the effective date of the pay increases be moved from the first pay period from 1 July, to the first pay period from 1 October, each year. The HSU has already raised issues with this proposal. We have suggested that the 1 July period be maintained this year and if Warrigal want to propose a change going forward, that is something that members should have a clear say on through a vote.

HSU member consultation

This is a significant proposal for members to consider. While the goal of harmonising pay rates is fair and reasonable, all HSU members deserve a real wage increase that keeps up with rising cost of living. We need to get together to consider the impact of the offer and collectively discuss our response.

All HSU members are invited to attend an important HSU Zoom session to discuss the offer, next Wednesday 27 July at either 12 noon or 6pm. This is a chance for you to ask questions, share your feedback and discuss the proposal with other HSU members.

Date: Wednesday 27 July
Time: 12pm OR 6pm
Join the meeting online at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86036358512
OR dial in by phone on 02 8015 6011 and enter the Meeting ID: 860 3635 8512 

The HSU will also be conducting workplace meetings over the coming weeks, so please speak to your HSU Delegate or Organiser about the proposal.

Support Services EA

Warrigal are proposing to defer discussions on the Support Services EA until negotiation of the Residential Care and Home Services agreement is finished. Instead of bargaining, Warrigal are proposing to pay staff covered by the Support Services EA a 3% administrative increase this year. The HSU would like to hear specifically from members covered by the Support Services agreement as part of our consultation process with members.

If your colleagues are not yet HSU members, now is the time to join so that they can participate in these important meetings. New members can join online at www.hsu.asn.au/join or by calling 1300 478 679.