Newcastle City Council Offering 10 Days Paid Domestic Violence Leave As Part Of New Enterprise Agreement

BY JARROD MELMETH

Newcastle City Council have adopted a new enterprise agreement which aims to improve productivity by creating a more flexible workplace.

The newly ratified agreement includes opt-in work arrangements such as unpaid leave, working from home, purchased additional annual leave, working four years out of five and working from home.

It's the first agreement in partnership with the Services Union in more than eight years and will also include 10 days of paid domestic violence leave.

Paid domestic violence is used for victims to seek safe housing; attend related medical and legal appointments or organise alternative care and schooling arrangements for their children while still being able to accumulate all other forms of leave.

Newcastle United Services Union organiser Luke Hutchinson said flexible work arrangements help employees in their work and personal lives.

"The Union is very proud to resolve this matter with Newcastle City Council to provide domestic violence leave for victims and their families to assist with this hideous social matter that we are unfortunately dealing within Australia at the moment.

"This provides some additional support for these victims and their families," Mr Hutchinson said.

The agreement also includes the annual 2.5 per cent minimum pay rise as per the 2017 Local Government Award.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the city is committed to providing support to its employees.

Left to right, Ross Warren and Kevin Burgess, City of Newcastle USU delegates,

 Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and United Services

 Union General Secretary Graeme Kelly.

Former Port Waratah Coal Services Supervisors Working as "Strike-breakers"

BY SARAH JAMES

The Maritime Union of Australia is furious that at least two former supervisors of Port Waratah Coal Services are now working as strike-breakers during the industrial dispute at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal.

Long-running tensions regarding their current enterprise agreement came to a head at Port Kembla on Sunday, with more than 60 workers being locked out by the company.

Workers affected by this lockout will have their pay suspended for five days.

This move has drawn criticism from the Maritime Union of Australia, who argue it is ultimately stalling any enterprise agreement negotiations going ahead.

"Going outside and hiring external strike-breaking labour at the end of the day is not beneficial to anybody in finalising an agreement that has any stability going forward," said Deputy President of South Coast Labour Council Garry Keane.

"The workers in that terminal have kept that place going for many years. They've sat down and done numerous enterprise agreements, and they've never come to this situation. They've always been willing to sit down, work out agreements and they still are. But they're not going to do while they've got a gun held to their head that strips back the entitlements of 25 years," he elaborated.

Port Waratah Coal Services