The Community Sector - Your ASU Finding the Way Forward

Considerable challenges face your sector. Over recent years commonwealth and state governments have reduced their role in direct service delivery in the provision of health and family services. The governments primarily ‘purchase’ health and family services, whilst maintaining their role in strategic policy advice and setting service standards and targets.

The community services sector is one of the fastest growing in South Australia - total employment in the community services sector grew by 12.4% between 1995-6 and 1999-2000. All of this growth was accounted for by not-for-profit sector employment which rose by 37000 persons.

As is the case globally in SA the sector faces: increased responsibilities and regulation with less funding; competition for scarce resources; a shortage of volunteers; and a predominantly female workforce strongly motivated by values and a commitment to their work but impacted by heavy workloads, long hours and low pay.

In order to address these issues and improve your wages and conditions your Union the ASU together with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) have been meeting with employer groups, the Association of Major Community Organisations (AMCO) and SACOSS to pursue reform in the sector. The group has now agreed that the issues of staff attraction and retention, with an initial focus on salaries and workforce development must be addressed to ensure the ongoing viability of the sector.

Your Union the ASU has played a key role in finding a way forward on the issues of low pay and the need for workplace development and the creation of a long-term vision for the sector.

The group has committed to work towards an industry-wide framework agreement. Your Union will now be working with the group to seek State Government funding for wage increases in this agreement and protections against attacks on rights at work through Federal industrial relations laws.

Congratulations and thank you to all of those who have been involved to date. If we are to be successful in achieving wage increases and our vision ASU membership must build and get involved!!

We invite you to find out more about the way forward for your sector by attending our first ASU Community Services Activists meeting for the year from

5.30pm on Wednesday 15 February 2006 at your Union Office

Please put it in your diary!

Should you require further information on framework bargaining and the way forward please contact ASU Branch Assistant Secretary Katrine Hildyard.

Contact Details
ASU-SANT
Ph:  08 83631322
Fax: 08 83632225
union@asu-sant.asn.au
http://www.asu-sant.asn.au/

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