Call Centres

National Hearing Care call centre job agreement on hold after failing Workplace Authority test

By ASU-Victorian Private Sector Branch

The employment agreement offered to call centre and office workers at National Hearing Care in Melbourne and disputed by the ASU, has failed the Workplace Authority's No Disadvantage Test.

In May this year, the ASU began publicly campaigning against the collective agreement being offered to staff at Hearing Care offices in Knox, Mulgrave and Cheltenham.

The agreement did not guarantee annual pay increases and took away award conditions such as meal breaks, an extension of parental pay and accident make-up pay.

ASU branch secretary Ingrid Stitt said the Union had outlined its concerns to National Hearing Care, during the short bargaining period, but the company failed to listen.

"National Hearing Care is repeatedly failing to listen to its workers," Ms Stitt said.

"The company failed to listen in May this year and would not make any of the changes we said were needed to pass the Workplace Authority's test."

"Only now, months later and after being red-faced by the Workplace Authority's assessment is the company prepared to change the agreement.

"But staff should not be over-joyed by this action, the company has informed us that it is only prepared to make minimal improvements. This is not a positive win for staff."

Ms Stitt called on the company to respect the wishes of a large number of staff to be represented by their union.

"Staff at National Hearing Care deserve better. They contacted the union because they felt they were being cheated by the company's take-it or leave-it offer and they were right. National Hearing Care now has the opportunity to show it cares and negotiate a union collective agreement with our members."

Ms Stitt said new collective bargaining rights were needed to give workers a greater say over their pay and conditions.