IBM's Australian operation is facing the possibility of strike action amongst its workforce after a secret ballot opened yesterday between employees in a Baulkham Hills facility.
A section of under 100 employees who work in the "Flightdeck" at Baulkam Hills want a collective agreement granting them better pay and work conditions. So-called "Flightdeck" due to the rows of computers and big screens, which looks like a flight deck.
According to statements published by the Australian Services Union (ASU), after IBM Flightdeck employee meetings in June, the 46 Flightdeck employees in the union voted to apply for a protected action ballot with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) which would decide whether to take legal industrial action.
The application was heard on 1 July by the AIRC, which also took into account IBM's objection that the ASU was ineligible to represent the interests of workers at the Flightdeck.
Last week the AIRC issued orders for a protected action ballot, which opened yesterday and will close on 29 August.
The aim of the negotiations was to achieve rights for all Flightdeck employees including regular pay rises, pay equity, travel allowance, fair redundancy and retrenchment provisions, paid shift handover periods, fair access to leave entitlements and time off in lieu, shift penalties and the option to work from home.
The decision to have a protected ballot was not met without attempts at bargaining with the company for an agreement, according to the ASU, which said it notified IBM through the AIRC of the commencement of a bargaining period.
According to the ASU, although IBM organised round-table meetings to listen to the concerns of Flightdeck workers, they weren't ready to address the employees' concerns, leading to the decision to apply for the ballot.
The union commenced a second bargaining period to pursue a non-union agreement while waiting for the AIRC's decision on the ballot. IBM agreed to meet yesterday at 10:30am to discuss it.
However, the ASU said it had obtained legal advice that said it was necessary to either choose a non-union or a union agreement, and since it perceived that IBM had only agreed to discuss the non-union agreement to avoid fines for not doing so, it decided to go ahead with the ballot action to obtain a union agreement, and told IBM that it could meet to discuss that agreement yesterday at the time already elected.
IBM refused to meet to discuss the union agreement, according to the ASU, saying the representatives were unavailable.
An IBM spokesperson responded to queries with this statement: "We are engaged in ongoing discussions with employees at the site in question to address any issues directly. IBM is widely recognised as an employer of choice, offering competitive remuneration and a very broad range of benefits for employees."
For many years IBM was portrayed as an employer of choice ,this is now no more. Beyond the rhetoric a united group of employees have stood up to IBM & it's bad treatment of staff & are seeking with the full support of the IRC a legal & fair enterprise agreement . IBM clearly isn't a choice employeer of choice when it's staff have to resort to Union & protected action to simply get an agreement. The IRC decision showed that IBM was wrong in it's view that staff were not part of maintaining computers !. IBM has been busy attempting to source Scab IT workers with the promise of a $4000 bonus to be strike breakers. This is a continuation of a sad legacy that current management within the department will leave in IBM Australia's history. They have been the catalyst for a new movement within IBM to stand for the basic & legal rights of workers to protect their basic entitlements. BIG Blue should listen to it's workers & not the YES managers that have masked from the executive the sad truth of low morale & poor conditions for it's staff. Major Australian Infrastructure is run from this department including Major Government Health systems, Airlines & Financial institutions , Australia should be worried what IBM has done to it's IT industry & staff , the buck will stop some where & it won't be with the average workers. IBM has become a pale blue of it's former self.