Community workers defeat bosses’ ballot

Community mental health workers at Mind Australia for a second time have voted to reject management’s proposed EBA. The agreement would have stolen RDOs from hundreds of full time workers and cut penalty rates for late shift workers.

Mind Australia is one of the largest organisations in the social and community services sector. Negotiations for a new agreement have been going on for 18 months.

This is the first time in memory that workers in the community sector have rejected two EBA offers from management. That hundreds of Mind workers have refused to cave in is partly due to the offer itself, which includes serious cuts to conditions. It’s also due to the great “vote no” campaign run by well-organised Australian Services Union members.

Mind’s management went all-out to win. The deputy CEO even telephoned casual workers to convince them to vote. The arguments got more creative too. Managers claimed that it wasn’t fair for full time workers to have RDOs when part timers don’t. Their concern for part time workers is heart warming, but of course they formally rejected our demand that part time workers receive pro-rata RDOs.

Union members have also voted to authorise a new round of industrial action, including writing slogans on Mind’s vehicles (a tactic borrowed from the ambos), a ban on responding to management emails or phone calls and using the company email system to contact non-union workers.

We’re in a strong position, having twice defeated the company’s attempted cuts and with new industrial action on the go. Union members need to keep the pressure on and win more of our workmates to our collective action.