TRANSFERS TO RATINGS
The Business Agents are being questioned by Members about having to accept transfers from the job that they picked, to work that they are rated for.
The Business Agent’s duty by the Local 500 Constitution is to, “represent the Local in all disputes in the Despatch Hall or on any job over which the Local has jurisdiction, and shall endeavour to reach a settlement.” They are responsible for administering the terms of the Collective Agreement. Article 1 says, “It is the intent and responsibility of the Parties that each will police the terms and conditions of this Agreement in accordance with its spirit and intent.”
In Article 8 – Training, it says, “they must service the specific rating for which they were trained.”
By Article 9 – Despatch and Control of the Workforce, in section 6(b) it says, “subject to persons being required to service their rating(s).”
Article 21.03 (9) says “Any skill rated employee on an Employer’s Regular Work Force may be trained to perform other skill rated work on the site. Such employees may be utilized at their newly acquired skills only when there are no employees with the required rating available in the Despatch Centre or available to be transferred through the Despatch Centre.”
Article 24.03 says, “The obligation of the Employers shall be to furnish a full shift of work to each employee despatched. The obligation of each employee is to move from one job to another when such move is ordered by the Employer(s).” That article goes on to say that, “The following provisions for the movement of employees shall be observed by both Parties to this Agreement.
Any employee despatched to a dock may be moved anywhere within the dock complex as often as required by the Employer during any shift, and may be moved once to another dock complex or to a ship, for the balance of the shift. Exceptions:
• Regular Work Force(s) Employees, an employee working on a skill rated job may be moved once to any skill rated work for which the employee is qualified for the balance of the shift, but a rated employee shall not be moved to non-rated work.
• An employee working at non-rated work may be moved once, for the balance of the shift, to any skill rated work for which the employee is qualified, when no other suitable employees are available.
• The moving of Union members shall be carried out without bumping other Union members.
• Maintenance employees shall not be moved to handling or movement of cargo.
• The extension will not be worked by employees who have been moved from one dock complex to another dock complex, from one ship to another ship, from a ship to a dock, nor from a dock to a ship.”
The Business Agents are required to administer the Collective Agreement by the terms and conditions of this Agreement in accordance with its spirit and intent.
Please, support the Business Agents when they are carrying out their responsibilities.
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