24 MarEnterprise Bargaining Agreement
Extension of time for the ballot to Friday, 15 April 2016
In consultation with the AEU, ELAA has decided to extend the time of the EBA ballot period for voting on the proposed new enterprise agreement (VECTEA 2016).
This is to ensure that all eligible employees of services that are part of the agreement have the opportunity to cast their vote.
As the bargaining representative of the almost 500 employers that are parties to VECTEA, ELAA wants to ensure that all eligible employees are able to exercise their right to vote on the agreement in line with the requirements of the Fair Work Act.
In recent days, it has come to our attention that a small minority of employees has not been provided with the agreement and/or had adequate time to consider it and cast their vote within the required timeframe (i.e. 7 days) under the Act.
Due to the coming Easter break and term holidays, we have therefore agreed with the AEU to extend the ballot process until 5pm, Friday 15 April, 2016.
Please note that all ballots must reach the ELAA office by 5pm on Thursday, 21 April. Together with representatives of the AEU, ELAA staff will then count the ballots and a result will be declared shortly thereafter.
While we understand that this extension will delay finalisation of the agreement, ELAA and the AEU have agreed that this extension is in the interests of fairness and equity for all eligible employees across the early childhood education sector.
Please note that services that have already made the ballot available to their staff as per the previously advised timelines are not required to ask their staff to vote again.
Completed ballots should be sent to ELAA as soon as possible where they will be collated and included in the counting process.
Please contact ELAA staff on 9489 3500 for more information.
Shane Lucas
Chief Executive Officer
