Federal Courts’ staff mulling the latest enterprise offer … Management on a road show trying to sell the proposal with a mixture of lures and threats … Disruption accompanies work-to-rule … Northly winds … Waiting for pay day

DARRIN Moy, the federal courts back-end man in charge of people and culture, says the Community and Public Sector Union has got it all wrong and, contrary to its advice, staff should vote YES to management’s latest version of the enterprise agreement.

Chief executive and principal registrar Wokka Soden followed up with a further plea to staff to vote YES. 

Wokka says that it’s been a struggle to “develop a new agreement out of two existing agreements”, as well as comply with the government’s policy on pay increases and come up with something that is affordable. He adds: 

“It is important to remember that the courts will not be provided with increased funding to pay for the additional cost of salary increases or any extra costs arising from a new agreement.” 

In his stirring email to the troops Darrin says the new, improved offer has not been due to the union’s efforts but is down to the courts’ close work with the government “to achieve the highest possible increase”. 

The culture and people boss warns that if people again vote down the offer there’ll be no three percent pay increase for Chrissy. The full offer is five percent over three years (3% commencement, 1.5% at 12 months and 0.5% at 24 months). 

If there is a YES vote Moy says, “staff currently covered by the Federal Court Agreement will receive an additional three days leave … If it is a NO vote, the three days will not be available for another year”. 

Moy and Catherine Sullivan, the courts executive director of corporate services,  have been on a road show trying to sell the proposed agreement. Some of the sessions have gone down like lead balloons. Even judges’ associates have been duchessed, but since they are only there for a year what’s the point? 

Staff took protected action to work to rule over a fortnight ago and some courts were immediately affected. Two federal circuit judges adjourned their cases and stood matters over. 

The Rolls Royce driving Justice Tony North told his court that protected action was underway and that his current case would be delayed. He hopes things could be resolved quickly. 

Apparently, a hearing by the full court of the Family Court was also adversely affected. 

Already the district registrars Heather Baldwin, Martin Jan and Daniel Caporale in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne respectively, have left. 

Court staff have had no pay rise for four years and the current negotiations for a new agreement has been dragging on for over a year. The CPSU is urging staff to vote NO to the latest offer. 

The proposal moves Family and Federal Circuit Court staff onto the Federal Court pay structure, which means an extra 1.12% for some, but not all. 

But there are problems. The proposed offer creates different rules relating to redundancy, redeployment and retention, which significantly favours Federal Court employees against those working for the other federal courts and the NNTT. 

In the union newsletter, one employee was critical of management’s divide and conquer strategy, saying that the proposed arrangement will create “a class system between the staff, with Federal Court employees being worth much more and Family Court and Federal Circuit Court employees being worth far less.”

Further, the unions says the new enterprise agreement does not provide for prior consultation before management makes decisions affecting rights at work.

Basically, the position is that the courts are sharpening the knife to get rid of more employees, which means that all the bruvvers and sisters are being advised to stick together and if they vote NO then management invariably comes back with a better offer. 

Affirmative RSVPs to the courts’ Christmas parties are down on last year.