On Monday the 17th August at 12:30, all Tarifkommission (TK) and Betriebsrat (Works Council, BR) members were invited to attend a joint meeting organised by Dr Sorenson. The meeting was scheduled to provide an opportunity for everyone to hear important news at the same time and from the same person to avoid misunderstanding. We were expecting to hear the response of the Chair of the Board to the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which had been finalised by the negotiating committee (BIS Directorship and the TK) in June 2015.
Back in June 2015, Dr Sorenson had indicated the CBA would be shared with the Board during the first two weeks of the summer vacation and final edits made to the document, if required. Having successfully progressed so far through the negotiation process we anticipated a positive outcome, but as no response was forthcoming during this time period there was a growing concern. The TK was worried that an unanticipated obstruction was threatening to derail the work of the negotiating team.
During the meeting on the 17th August, Dr Sorenson announced with visible shock and discomfort that the chair of the Board had rejected the CBA. It was made abundantly clear he saw no place for a CBA at BIS. Everyone at this meeting, even the most hardened, was in disbelief and found it a challenge to maintain composure. The hundreds of hours of collective negotiating towards a CBA had been disregarded.
Back in June 2015, Dr Sorenson had indicated the CBA would be shared with the Board during the first two weeks of the summer vacation and final edits made to the document, if required. Having successfully progressed so far through the negotiation process we anticipated a positive outcome, but as no response was forthcoming during this time period there was a growing concern. The TK was worried that an unanticipated obstruction was threatening to derail the work of the negotiating team.
During the meeting on the 17th August, Dr Sorenson announced with visible shock and discomfort that the chair of the Board had rejected the CBA. It was made abundantly clear he saw no place for a CBA at BIS. Everyone at this meeting, even the most hardened, was in disbelief and found it a challenge to maintain composure. The hundreds of hours of collective negotiating towards a CBA had been disregarded.