United Voice

Dear member,

Today is an historic day – a day all Victorian security union members should feel proud of.

A ballot count this afternoon confirmed MSS members have voted overwhelming to endorse their new union agreement.

This agreement delivers pay parity with Wilson and ISS. It comes after a massive six month long fight by members, including 124 demonstrations and preparations by MSS members for strike action.

It means members at union contractors will earn $2000 a year more than guards still on the Award. By next year these members will be 11 percent ahead.

G4S members are close to an incredible victory, after fighting bravely for a year and a half.

Soon they will vote on their in-principle union agreement that also delivers pay parity.

When you put it all together, members have made a giant step forward in our campaign to win good jobs and professional conditions across our industry.

How did we get here? It is very simple. Members across the industry stood together and demanded respect.

Thirty delegates acros the major contractors have now formed a Union Security Industry Council to take the next steps.

Last week I sat in on the last session to hear the council's plans for the future. Loud and clear guards said that they want to campaign to bring Award guards up to the union pay rate.

They don't want to leave anyone behind. Our delegates also want to stamp out dodgy contractors the drag the industry down.

Ever worked for a dodgy contractor, or know someone who has? Click here to dob in a cowboy…

As we look towards 2011 – when members from all four contractors bargain together – we know that if we are united and strong we can achieve even greater things.

Jess Walsh
Secretary,
LHMU Victoria

In this issue:

1. MSS members win pay parity

2. G4S members win new deal after epic battle

3. Wilson and ISS member get pay-rise, Award guards get nothing

4. Members win government clamp-down on cowboys

1. MSS members win pay parity

MSS members have voted overwhelmingly to endorse their new union collective agreement.

The new deal delivers pay parity with Wilson and ISS and will put members 11% above the Award by next year.

The win comes after six months of hard campaigning by members and 124 protest actions outside MSS sites. Members had been preparing for strike action.

‘It feels great. It’s a hell of a win,’ Commonwealth Bank and relieving delegate Bruce Adams said.

The deal also delivers union rights, increased uniform allowances and simpler leave procedures.

‘I’ve got a grin from ear to ear. It’s fantastic! It’s hard to believe we have finally got to the end of the road,’ Bruce said.

‘We’ve come a huge way. We didn’t get just a couple of things: we won a whole lot of stuff. We got pretty much everything that we went for.’
 
The first year 4.5% pay rise will be back-dated to 31 August.

This means members will now be on the Union Industry Standard Agreement. They will get about $40 a week more than guards stuck on the Award. That gap will widen on July 1 next year when members from all three companies get another 4% pay rise.

‘I think management realised in the end we’ve got more clout than they thought we had,’ BAE delegate Geoff Hovenden said.

‘When Mike McKinnon came down and saw how much we stood up to him, he saw that we couldn’t be pushed around.’

‘I think we won respect in the end,’

‘The important thing was that we weren’t divided, we all stood strong, and we need to continue to do that in two years,’ Geoff said.

Wilson member Wei Zhang is one of several ISS and Wilson members who have been heavily involved in MSS members’ fight.

‘It’s so important to us that MSS get the same pay and conditions because then if one company loses the contract and it goes to another one, it just becomes like a shirt change to us. We don’t go backwards,’ Wei said. 

‘And it means we stand together as one industry, with one strong agreement.’

2. G4S members win new deal after epic battle

After a massive year and a half-long battle G4S members have reached an in principle agreement with management that delivers pay parity with their industry.

The deal is a huge victory for G4S members. Many have been stuck on individual contracts that pay a flat rate of just $16 an hour.

Members staged countless demonstrations and were poised to take strike action when G4S management finally agreed to their demands.

Members won an 8.5% pay increase over two years, plus a bonus to bring them up to Union Pay Rates and the reinstatement of shift weekend and public holiday loadings.

The increase for some members working shifts could amount to more than 25 percent extra.

County Court delegate Ray Aarons is overjoyed at their win.

“After a year and half of fighting it feels great,” he declared.

“Management tried to pressure us into breaking ranks but everyone hung in there. It’s a great win.”

“I think they thought the members would fold. They underestimated us.”

 “We were united and refused to give in. I feel like we’ve won some respect. We will now have a lot more rights than we had on the AWAs.”

“I think a couple of people won’t have to stress as much about paying bills. It will now be a lot easier to clear some of my debts.”

Ray says the support from other members at other contractors was crucial. 

“If you don’t have that support it’s easy for management to crack you.”

3. Wilson and ISS member get pay-rise, Fair Pay Commission gives Award guards nothing

ISS and Wilson members are excited about the 4.5 percent pay rise that came through on July 1.

‘Everybody’s happy. We have really achieved something, we’re moving forward,’ ISS member Bobi Pejcinovski said

‘It helps cover the expenses of living that have gone up over the last 12 months,’ said Wilson member Tracy King.

Winning the same rates across the contractors meant pay rates were protected when Wilson took over the contract from ISS at Optus Sunshine.

‘The agreement being with the two major companies made it easier for us to transfer across,’ Tracy said.

Under their new agreement, MSS members are delighted to have won a 4.5% pay rise, backdated to August 31. The pay rise won by G4S members in their in principle agreement is backdated to September 1.

‘In the climate we’re in at the moment, no one can believe we got a 4.5% pay increase,’ Mobil Altona delegate Bob Moodie said.

Meanwhile the Fair Pay Commission gave guards stuck on the Award no pay rise at all, ignoring our demand for an increase in the safety net.

Vicki Wilberforce, a member at Sigiad Security, was disappointed by the Award rate pay freeze this year that means they will keep falling and further behind companies on the union rate.

‘It was very frustrating because we do the same work as all the other guards, so it doesn’t work out right.’

‘They’re doing the same job as what I’m doing, and they’re not getting the same money for it. Let’s face it, it’s just not right,’ said ISS member David Cooper.

4. Members win government clamp-down on cowboys

 
LHMU members have spoken up and won a government clampdown on dodgy security contractors that do not pay guards properly.

Fair Work Australia want to hear from you. Click here to dob in a dodgy contractor…

ISS delegate Warren Hill said the industry audit was desperately needed.

‘It’s long overdue. It’s high time we clean up this industry. I’m very pleased that the government is finally doing what should have been done years ago.’

A recent LHMU member survey found 77% of you had been paid below the Award, 88% had worked without proper breaks, 80% had done overtime on normal pay and 64% had worked for a company that did not follow health and safety laws.

These dodgy contractors get a completive edge by ripping guards off, and undercutting companies with union collective agreements like ISS, MSS and Wilson.

‘The dodgy companies are bringing our industry down through underpayment, overwork, and maltreatment of guards. They do not respect guards,’ Warren said.

The Fair Work Australia audit will focus on pay rates (including casual rates and minimum rates), penalty rates, allowances and meal breaks.

Ever worked for a dodgy contractor, or know someone who has? Click here to dob in a cowboy…
 
For more information contact the Union Rights Centre on 9235 7777.