Negotiations have started between the Victorian branch of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the State Government.

The move signals the start of negotiations for the 2016 Victorian Public Service Agreement.

Victorian Branch Secretary and Federal Secretary of the CPSU, Karen Batt, says the negotiators will now start talking about salary progression, pay, workload, and management and staff relations.

The CPSU’s Proposed Victorian Public Service Enterprise Agreement 2016 seeks a 4.7 per cent per year increase to all salaries, salary ranges, and work and condition allowances.

It also calls for five weeks’ annual leave (six for shift workers), access to 26 weeks of paid leave for primary carers and 4 weeks for partners, as well as the provision of paid leave for staff experiencing family violence.

It includes a brand new element titled Workplace Privacy and Surveillance at Work, which calls for government employers to not routinely read or monitor email.

“Email will be monitored and retrieved only if the employer is legally obliged to do so or has reasonable cause to believe that an employee has committed a criminal offence or serious disciplinary offence,” the document states.

The union wants government employees to be able to “bank” time to cover the three days’ absence at Christmas/New Year; increase the night shift rate to 20 per cent; and scrap split shifts.

It also wants to remove the Value Range (VR) component, which is seen as a soft barrier to advancement.

They want protections for employees whose positions are reclassified to a higher VR or Grade, a team reward payment, and single-day Higher Duty Allowances.

“Departments and Agencies with employees to be covered by the Victorian Public Service Agreement ’16 will issue a notice of representational rights shortly,” Ms Batt said.