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Winter 2006

Direct Debit Sign Over At The Park Group

When the Park Group aged care homes at Cosgrove and Tamar Park were taken over by ‘Aged Care Services Australia,’ HACSU members faced a dilemma.

The large Victoria based company was unfamiliar with the payroll deduction system used by most HACSU members to pay their union dues, because in Victoria payroll deduction was outlawed during the 1990s under Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett.

Rather than lose the majority of financial members overnight the Cosgrove worksite committee - with support from HACSU organisers - undertook an intensive membership sign-over on both sites. This changed members over from payroll deduction, where dues are deducted from members pay by their employer, to direct debit, where dues are paid directly from members bank accounts.

The sign-over was conducted over four days and was very well organised, with the worksite committee using rosters and checklists to make sure that all members were approached and followed up.

"We explained that in Victoria payroll deduction doesn't exist and that under the new workplace laws the company may choose not to use payroll deduction in Tasmania either, leaving us with a lot of unfinancial members," HACSU Industrial Organiser Carolyn White explained.

"There are also additional risks for workers under the new laws when a business undergoes a 'transmission of business', that is when it changes hands."

Under the new work laws, provisional arrangements allow State Award conditions to continue for three years. However, when a business changes hands the three year provisional award time frame is reduced to just one year, and if there is no registered agreement in place workers revert to the five minimum conditions (minimum wage, annual leave, sick leave, unpaid maternity leave, and maximum weekly hours).

"It was really important that we maintained strong membership levels at the Park Group sites so that we can all work on a good workplace agreement over the next twelve months," Carolyn said.