We met with management yesterday. They acknowledged that undertakings had been given to the MSAV regarding an offer, but offered no apology or explanation.  This is a continuation of the delaying tactics and bad faith bargaining that the company has been engaging in all year.

At the meeting an extremely imprecise verbal offer was made to increase scientists’ rates of pay This could be interpreted as an offer of a 9% increase over 3 years, from an imprecise date in 2010 until 2013. This compares with salary increases over the period 2009-2012 in other private pathology providers and the public sector.

Not only would rates of pay at Dorevitch and GPS lag behind the market under the proposal, but they would fall even further behind in 2012 and 2013, as agreements in the public sector and at Cabrini, Melbourne Pathology and St John of God are due to be renegotiated in 2011/2012.

Meetings of MSAV members were held at the Heidelberg laboratory yesterday and the following motion was passed unanimously:

This meeting of MSAV members rejects the contemptuous and insulting manner in which the management of Dorevitch Pathology has approached the negotiation of a new enterprise agreement covering scientists.

In the light of the failure of management to put forward a reasonable offer on salary increases, this meeting resolves to take industrial action for an indefinite period of time or until a reasonable offer regarding salaries is received, including an acceptable operative date and backpay.