16 May 2010
Report on SDA/McDonald's agreement
News Limited (Herald Sun/The Australian) has published an article on the proposed SDA/McDonalds agreement. The article says that 'McDONALD'S has been referred to the workplace watchdog for allegedly underpaying some workers after the industrial umpire threw out an enterprise agreement covering its 80,000 employees.'
You can see the full article here
You can see the full article here
DONOVAN LASHES OUT
Michael Donovan, State Secretary of the SDA, is presently circulating a news bulletin titled "UNSIGNED BULLETINS". Below is our response:
Firstly, the RRR SDA GROUP is not affiliated in any way with any trade union or organisation. It is not there to promote itself or individuals but to encourage fellow SDA members to take an interest in the unions' future.
Firstly, the RRR SDA GROUP is not affiliated in any way with any trade union or organisation. It is not there to promote itself or individuals but to encourage fellow SDA members to take an interest in the unions' future.
12 May 2010
What do we want?
RESTORE SDA
The RRR SDA Group is committed to restoring conditions of work that have been given away by the current leadership of the SDA (Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association), that is:
Federal Secretary - Joe de Bruyn
State Secretary - Michael Donovan
This means that fellow shop assistants have to stand for elected positions and lead the fight to regain conditions that have been lost:
1. Restore a decent wage
2. Restore the casual loading to time + 25%
1. Restore a decent wage
2. Restore the casual loading to time + 25%
3. Remove the clause in the SDA agreement that gives employers the right to reduce part-time hours
4. Regain some control about compulsory hours that is having devastating effects on peoples’ personal relationships, family lives and quality of life in general
5. Remove compulsory work prior to 7am and after 6pm Monday to Friday
6. Re-introduce voluntary work on Saturdays and Sundays
Welcome to Revolt Regain Restore SDA
We hope you will use this site to help restore our union
RRR SDA Group would like to acknowledge the concerns raised in the comments section:
1. The Group is Victoria based but is for the use of all States and Territories. We would ask that those people who have contacts interstate if they could send them copies of the Newsletter and encourage them to visit our website and inform fellow workers of the site address.
2. The Group is approximately 3 months old and the blog site 2 weeks old. Visits to the site are so numerous we will no longer refer to ourselves as a small group
3. Some of the matters raised on the comments section have caused great concern, the one relating to compulsory night and weekend work is more common than what you think and this is one of many reasons that led to the formation of the RRR SDA Group.
When weekends and nights were voluntary and the penalties were still in place there were always sufficient number of people who were glad to work nights and weekends for the additional pay. Since the removal of the Saturday rate and reduction of the Sunday rate and evening rates and the Employers right under the SDA Agreement to compulsory roster has caused great hardship with family life and personal relationships. There are instances where the rostering of these hours has been used as punishment or to encourage people to leave as a form of wage reduction. Most SDA Agreements have “grandfathering” clauses – which is the ability for employers to put on new people at a lesser rate of pay than the current workforce.
There appears to be a little bit of impatience being expressed by contributors to the site – the timetable to remove Mr. Donovan and his associates is governed by the next election. We need to maintain our ongoing campaign to make members aware that there are alternatives.
Sometime in the future those who are prepared to take on the task and attempt to restore basic rights and conditions will need to start their campaigns explaining what they stand for and generating support which eventually will be a vote for a new beginning.
We can’t stress how important it is that the membership are empowered to make changes.
This can only happen if everyone is made aware of alternatives.
Donovan in the past has not missed an opportunity to promote himself and has a bad habit of claiming credit for achievements actually won by the Union movement in general and the ACTU. One day we hope that the SDA will be welcomed at the Victorian Trades Hall Council.
There was a recent newsletter where he was claiming credit for Christmas Day public holiday, the introduction of industry superannuation –( a large number of Unions had super at least 10 years prior to the SDA), maternity leave – he has no right to claim credit which actually belongs to the ACTU and the Union movement in general.
Has anyone else noticed that one of the enticements to join the SDA is to get discount products? How does a union ever get into a position where there is cross promotion with employers to encourage membership with the SDA and the SDA to promote purchase of their products? The products that the employers and the SDA promote quite often are beyond our reach as our wages are so substandard we can’t afford to take advantage of what’s on offer.
I would recommend reading of the article on site titled “Shop Assistants Sidelined”. Even the most ardent supporter of the SDA would find the information alarming.
RRR SDA GROUP.
We hope you will use this site to help restore our union
RRR SDA Group would like to acknowledge the concerns raised in the comments section:
1. The Group is Victoria based but is for the use of all States and Territories. We would ask that those people who have contacts interstate if they could send them copies of the Newsletter and encourage them to visit our website and inform fellow workers of the site address.
2. The Group is approximately 3 months old and the blog site 2 weeks old. Visits to the site are so numerous we will no longer refer to ourselves as a small group
3. Some of the matters raised on the comments section have caused great concern, the one relating to compulsory night and weekend work is more common than what you think and this is one of many reasons that led to the formation of the RRR SDA Group.
When weekends and nights were voluntary and the penalties were still in place there were always sufficient number of people who were glad to work nights and weekends for the additional pay. Since the removal of the Saturday rate and reduction of the Sunday rate and evening rates and the Employers right under the SDA Agreement to compulsory roster has caused great hardship with family life and personal relationships. There are instances where the rostering of these hours has been used as punishment or to encourage people to leave as a form of wage reduction. Most SDA Agreements have “grandfathering” clauses – which is the ability for employers to put on new people at a lesser rate of pay than the current workforce.
There appears to be a little bit of impatience being expressed by contributors to the site – the timetable to remove Mr. Donovan and his associates is governed by the next election. We need to maintain our ongoing campaign to make members aware that there are alternatives.
Sometime in the future those who are prepared to take on the task and attempt to restore basic rights and conditions will need to start their campaigns explaining what they stand for and generating support which eventually will be a vote for a new beginning.
We can’t stress how important it is that the membership are empowered to make changes.
This can only happen if everyone is made aware of alternatives.
Donovan in the past has not missed an opportunity to promote himself and has a bad habit of claiming credit for achievements actually won by the Union movement in general and the ACTU. One day we hope that the SDA will be welcomed at the Victorian Trades Hall Council.
There was a recent newsletter where he was claiming credit for Christmas Day public holiday, the introduction of industry superannuation –( a large number of Unions had super at least 10 years prior to the SDA), maternity leave – he has no right to claim credit which actually belongs to the ACTU and the Union movement in general.
Has anyone else noticed that one of the enticements to join the SDA is to get discount products? How does a union ever get into a position where there is cross promotion with employers to encourage membership with the SDA and the SDA to promote purchase of their products? The products that the employers and the SDA promote quite often are beyond our reach as our wages are so substandard we can’t afford to take advantage of what’s on offer.
I would recommend reading of the article on site titled “Shop Assistants Sidelined”. Even the most ardent supporter of the SDA would find the information alarming.
RRR SDA GROUP.
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