What is an Enterprise Agreement?
An Enterprise Agreement (EA) is a negotiated deal between employees and their employer that sets pay, leave, safety, and workplace conditions for the next three years. Your Union, the HWU, bargains with ACL on your behalf to secure fairer pay and better conditions, but it’s up to YOU to vote on whether to accept the 2025–2028 EA between 28–31 January.
What happens if you VOTE NO?
If you vote no, ACL must return to bargaining with the HWU to negotiate a better offer, aiming to secure improved pay and conditions. At the same time, the HWU will prepare for protected industrial action to push ACL toward making a fair deal. Voting no gives us the leverage to fight for a stronger agreement.
How to VOTE NO
You can vote online or by phone. CorpVote will send an email and SMS to your contact details held in the ACL payroll system. If your contact details have changed, please fill out the “nPYR-CHGPERDTL-013.docx” form found on FastTrack.
The voting period opens at 7am Tuesday 28 January and closes at 5pm Friday 31 January 2025 AEDT. You will not be able to cast your vote outside of these times.
When you click through to vote, make sure you select NO. Voting is entirely safe and anonymous, so ACL won’t know if you VOTE NO.
Why you should VOTE NO
Pathetic Pay Offer
- ACL is one of the lowest-paying employers in the sector, and this deal will keep them among the worst.
- The average yearly pay increase is below inflation, meaning your real wages go backward every single year.
- Pay increases are as low as 0.24% in the first year – that’s just 7 cents an hour.
- ACL claims their offer is “above the Modern Award,” but the Modern Award is the legal minimum wage they must pay. This offer barely rises above the minimum and will likely drop back to the Modern Award after its review this year.
- Compared to the 2020 agreement, your wages have already gone backward in real terms.
CLASSIFICATION | 2020 AVERAGE ABOVE MODERN AWARD | 2025 OFFER AVERAGE ABOVE MODERN AWARD |
COURIER | 4% | 1% |
Collector | 6.5% | 1% |
Clerk | 5% | 1.5% |
Backpay betrayal
- ACL is refusing to backpay you fairly, offering only 3 months instead of the nearly 9 months you we believe you are entitled to.
- The previous agreement expired in March 2024, leaving you to miss nearly a year of pay owed to you.
Allowances, Leave, and Rosters
- Refusal to improve allowances: ACL boasts about increasing allowances but only to the bare legal minimum required under the Modern Award, ignoring members’ real needs.
- Roster changes ignored: ACL refuses to introduce fairer allowances for roster changes when shifts are altered without the required 7 days’ notice.
- Courier exploitation: Couriers are now expected to take on goods-carrying duties without any pay adjustment or recognition of increased responsibilities.
- No improvements to leave: ACL has refused to improve annual or personal leave, even as workers face higher rates of illness following the pandemic.
Attacks on Your Safety and Security at Work
- Health and safety concerns: ACL have refused the HWU’s claims to implement any new safety measures for staff. Despite:
- Increasing workload overload and rising injuries among staff.
- Workers experiencing assaults and abuse, particularly during Urine Drug Screening procedures.
- Easier terminations: ACL has made it easier to terminate workers by allowing warnings to remain on your record for 50% longer.
The Bottom Line
ACL claims they have no money to fund a fair pay increase for staff. They are lying. Over the last agreement, ACL made nearly $500,000,000 in pre-tax profits. Last year, they gave their CEO a $2,000,000 bonus. When it comes to executive pay, there is plenty of cash to go around. When it comes to you, you get the scraps.
This deal locks in low pay, unsafe conditions, and unfair practices for years to come, while ACL prioritizes executive bonuses over you being able to put food on the table. Vote NO to force ACL back to the negotiating table and fight for a fairer deal.
How to Join the Fight and Win Fair Pay
ACL are bleeding you dry, counting on you to do nothing about it. But when workers Stand Together, Workers Win Together. Want to join the fight? Here’s how you can help:
- Join the Union: For the price of a cup of coffee a week, you can join the union and strengthen our fight for fair pay. Already a member? Encourage your co-workers to join too!
- Talk to Your Co-Workers: Share the facts about ACL’s pathetic pay offer. Let them know that only a NO VOTE protects their pay and conditions for years to come.
- Print and Display Campaign Posters: Download and print our posters. (Right click on each poster and select save to downloads) Leave them at your worksite to ensure everyone sees the key message—VOTE NO to protect pay and conditions.
- Join as a Bargaining Representative: If you can’t join the union right now, you can still join the fight. Fill out a Bargaining Representative form, take a photo, and send it to [email protected].