Seqwater Enterprise Agreement – Members’ Input Required!

Seqwater has now provided The Services Union with a summary of changes contained in your proposed new Enterprise Agreement (EA). The key points are as follows:

  • Pay increases. Seqwater is offering the full annual increases available under the GOC Wages Policy of 3%, 2.5% and 2.5% (plus additional CPI Uplift Adjustments of 0.5%, 1% and 1%) with no trade-offs of core conditions.
  • Dispute Resolution. Process clarified to ensure ability to resolve issues relating to your direct supervisor.
  • Part-Time Employees. Clarification that additional hours will be worked as ordinary time only by mutual agreement. Overtime to apply when directed to work extra hours.
  • Higher Duties. New wording to safeguard against pay reduction when relieving an employee at a lower paypoint.
  • Annualised Salary. Ability for employees at or above AO5, PO4, OO4, TO5 or TO MS1 to access annualised package with clear guidelines and safeguards including annual reconciliation.
  • Overtime Approval for declared incident or emergency. Stronger words around approval to not be unreasonably withheld.
  • Flex Payout. Cap raised to 12 hours.
  • Obnoxious Conditions. Allowance expanded to include trash rack and screen shovelling, with clearer definitions around animal carcases.
  • Purchased Leave. Can now be taken progressively in hours rather than week blocks.
  • 10-Hour Break. Now increased to 10.5 hours, with reasonable travel no longer capped at one hour. Additional wording recognizing Seqwater’s commitment to fatigue management.
Importantly, we’ve achieved the above improvements within the confines of a very restrictive bargaining environment governed by the GOC Wages Policy. You’ll find the full details of the package here

It is now up to members of The Services Union to decide whether our Union gives Seqwater in-principle agreement towards putting the package to a staff ballot. Please dial into our members’ lunchtime meeting at 1230pm on Monday 25 May for further discussion, ensuring your lunch break is arranged to allow you to attend. We’ll follow up the meeting with an anonymous online survey to formalise the position we put to Seqwater on members’ behalf.

If you have any questions and can’t make Monday’s meeting, reach out to your TSU Bargaining Committee Delegates Martin Leung and Glynn Aland.

Achieving improvements through bargaining – and the implementation of improved conditions that follows this process – are best supported by a strong Union in your workplace. If you’re not yet a member, join today.  


ASU is the Union fighting for workers at SEQWater.