PSA News – 15 April 2016
Annual Conference 2016
Thursday 26 May and Friday 27 May 2016
All members are invited to nominate as a Conference delegate for the PSA’s 2016 Annual Conference.
Preference will be given to those who have not previously attended Conference.
Please note that members can apply for Special Leave to attend the Conference.
Sessions include:
- Challenges facing Australian Unions – Professor David Peetz
- The Cost of Commissioning – Associate Professor Jane Andrew
On Thursday night there will be a social gathering at PSA House with food, drink and a screening of the movie “The Big Short”.
Nominations close on Monday 2 May 2016.
For more details click HERE
Follow us on Twitter @psansw or #psaconf2016
TAFE members deliver overwhelming PABO result
TAFE members have endorsed action against TAFE’s plans to slash conditions as part of the ongoing enterprise agreement negotiations.
To be able to take industrial action, the PSA applied to hold a Protected Action Ballot of members in TAFE, and a ruling was given by the Fair Work Commission for a ballot to be held from 24 March to 1 April.
Despite the short ballot period around a long weekend, PSA members in TAFE delivered an outstanding result.
The threshold for a successful ballot was easily passed with an average 93% vote to endorse various types of industrial action.
Congratulations are due to TAFE members for their enthusiasm and participation in reaching such a decisive result.
May Day – Sunday 1 May 2016
This year’s May Day celebration marks 125 years since Australia’s first May Day march held in 1891 by striking shearers at Barcaldine in Queensland.
Along with the traditional march, this year’s Sydney May Day will be a family fun day with rides, food stalls and live entertainment.
The PSA will have a stall on the day with the theme of “I ♥ public services”.
Our stall will be decorated with promotional material from the many campaigns the PSA is involved in to protect public services.
In addition, the PSA will create a powerful, physical representation of the support for public services with a sea of hearts display.
Each will carry a signature and statement of support to protect these services.
Assemble at Belmore Park in Sydney at 11.00am for the march at 11.30am.
If you are available to volunteer an hour to staff the stall or have any campaign posters, promotional materials and t-shirts to help decorate the stall please contact us at
Regional fun – for those unable to attend the event in Sydney, we will send a heart template and ask members to write a message of support and take a photo holding the heart to share on Facebook.
Join us at May Day and drop by the PSA stall to ensure the next generation of workers continue to celebrate and cherish such an important event.
You can view the flyer HERE
Goulburn staffing should be locked down
The PSA has taken action to publicise the state’s appallingly overcrowded prison system.
Inmates at one of the toughest prisons in the state, Goulburn Correctional Centre, were in lockdown in March when staff resisted management directions.
The PSA believes current staffing levels are below the Variable Operational Routine, which is the number of officers onsite to guarantee a safe working environment.
Prison Officers Vocational Branch chairman, Steve McMahon, was interviewed in the Goulburn Post over the action.
You can read the story HERE
Back in black: PSA wins money owed to SAS staff
The PSA has helped win back pay for three School Learning Support Officers (SLSOs) who had been underpaid for years.
Three staff members at the one school were at times engaged less than the minimum two hours per day, and when they did work more than two hours per day, they were not paid for their 10-minute morning tea break.
The staff contacted the PSA via the Member Services Centre, which set in motion actions to remedy the shortfall.
In March 2016, a Department of Education and Communities investigation found numerous incidences of underpayment to all three SLSOs, who were each found to be owed about $6000.
The SLSOs will be paid the full amount by the department, which will then recover the monies from the school.
Secrecy under spotlight
Most Freedom of Information requests to NSW State Government ministers are now knocked back.
This is the finding of an investigation by Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd.
According to The Sun-Herald, NSW ministers granted only a third of requests for information, half the percentage from the previous year.
Bodies such as Roads and Maritime Services were found to be secretive, particularly with projects such as the contentious WestConnex road project.
You can read the Sun Herald story HERE
National Parks rangers fire up over conditions attack
PSA members in the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) have recently returned from fighting fires in Tasmania and Western Australian.
NPWS staff from NSW went to Tasmania for six weeks to combat a spate of fires that had overwhelmed the southern state’s emergency services.
Many of the NPWS staff worked in remote regions, fighting fires created by dry conditions and more than 80 lightning strikes.
Upon their return, NPWS staff learnt they are in the Baird Government’s crosshairs, with plans to slash weekend hours and after-hours loading.
Weekends are the busiest time for the state’s national parks.
The Sunday Telegraph has publicised the fight by PSA members in NPWS.
You can read the story HERE
