Workers from Tutt Bryant Crane Hire NT have voted by 12 to 1 to reject an employer-drafted enterprise agreement, in a secret ballot on December 4.

The workers declined the deal, even though Tutt Bryant Pty Ltd had increased their original wage offer to CPI or 4% per year. The vote followed meetings between the employer and worker representatives and CFMEU officials to bargain over improvements to an earlier draft of the agreement.

The union has been bargaining with Tutt Bryant NT since September 2009. The parent company Tutt Bryant Group Pty Ltd also owns Muswellbrook Cranes in NSW. But negotiations with the company were less than satisfactory.

The union had to use the good faith bargaining provisions of the Fair Work Act to apply for an injunction on an earlier ballot the employer wanted to hold, because the company had failed to attend a planned meeting to discuss the agreement.

The draft agreement employers wanted to put to the workers didn’t include a number of award conditions, for example, shift work penalties and the Mobile Crane Hiring Award redundancy provision. Wage increases were originally CPI or 3% whichever was the highest!

The union didn’t believe workers should have to waste their time voting on such a sub-standard agreement!

Following Fair Work Australia’s decision to issue the order, the company agreed to two further meetings, before a report back to Commissioner Cargill on Nov 20. After that Conference with Commissioner Cargill, the union agreed to workers voting on the employer draft, confident that they would reject it.

The NT manager has now handed the matter over to Tutt Bryant head office for resolution.  Head office is negotiating with the CFMEU about differences over the agreement.

Watch this space for news of the outcome.