TAFE & Adult Provision Union power in disability

The AEU has appealed disability provider Connecting2Australia’s application to the Fair Work Commission to terminate its long-standing AEU agreements and shift its employees onto the SCHADS award. The shift would result in members losing hard-won conditions, including planning time, six weeks of annual leave and 15 days of personal leave.

Fair Work recommended that the union and the employer meet to try to reach an agreed position. The AEU proposed using existing multi-enterprise agreements as a possible starting point. 

In negotiations with Connecting2Australia, the union successfully negotiated for employees to have its members’ conditions written into their contracts. A significant win for our members, this preserves their conditions for the duration of their employment at the service, regardless of any future agreement changes.

There are several ongoing negotiations taking place in the disability sector. Although negotiations remain stalled at Mambourin, which cites COVID-19 as the reason, a number of other negotiations happening across the disability sector are progressing well. Some are near completion, including Araluen, Yooralla and Cooinda.

In the past year, the AEU has won several cases of incorrect classification and under-payment, as well as the right to client-free breaks, in the disability sector.