ca22 - update 6 - Authority to bargain (finally) provided to qfes

07 September 2022

After everyone waiting (for far too long) on the Queensland government to act, QFES has finally been provided with formal authority and approval to commence bargaining for CA22.

The formal authority includes the previously reported wage offer which you can access here.

The authority also includes the rules QFES must follow in bargaining, which importantly includes a requirement that no existing entitlement can be reduced as a result of bargaining. That means QFES cannot attempt to take anything away from you in their claim negotiations.

Now that authority has been provided –

• All parties to CA22 can exchange their logs of claims in full (this is happening Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 September).

I will provide a full set of all parties claims to all members via private email addresses on Friday 9 September, so please check your union has your private email address.

• Actual negotiations on claims can commence (this commences Friday 9 September).

These negotiations will take a few meetings to really kick in, and that means subject matter expert assistance will be required throughout late September and most of October. You will receive requests for that assistance when required, again, by an email to your private email address.

Bargaining and negotiations are proposed to take until the end of October, but may take longer. 

There will then be a phase of drafting content based on the agreed matters, and then a ballot to all members. 

If the ballot result is a yes, an application is then made by QFES to the QIRC for certification, and then on commencement of the CA22 the process of organising new pay rates, back pay, and other matters arising from agreed CA22 content can kick off. If the ballot result is a no, we start again.

To be clear, this will likely all take some months from the authority being provided through to completion (it’s possible the process may well stretch into 2023).

You will receive a copy of all parties claims on Friday 9 September, and further CA22 UPDATES as matters progress.

John Oliver - General Secretary