PSA News – 24 November 2015

State of the public sector report

The Public Service Commission’s 2015 State of the NSW Public Sector Report has been released. The report focuses on six features of high performing organisations: workforce capability and diversity, employee engagement, customer focus, leadership strength, culture and behaviours and productivity and innovation.

You can read the report HERE.

Australian Museum guts staff, putting priceless artefacts at risk: union – the Sydney Morning Herald

“The question must be asked, ‘What exactly does the Baird government value?’”

Read The Sydney Morning Herald article HERE

Jail break

PSA General Secretary, Anne Gardiner had an opinion piece published in the Daily Telegraph on prison overcrowding and workers comp.

Read the article HERE.

Legal Aid helping those most in need

Last year, Legal Aid NSW assisted almost 600 people in NSW each day, every day.

Read the media release HERE

Trustee & Guardian job cuts halted – for now

Following the announcement of job cuts and office closures at Trustee & Guardian, the PSA took the matter to the Industrial Relations Commission.

Commissioner Newell stated emphatically that no positions should be lost across all of NSWTAG prior to the completion of the Pilot. This is not negotiable.

The state’s most vulnerable will take yet another hit with cuts that will see deceased estate and disability services slashed.

Read the ABC News story HERE

Send a letter to your local paper to support TAFE

TAFEs are being starved of funding by the Baird Government in favour of for-profit private providers that are increasingly being exposed for scamming the system, short-changing students and providing substandard training.

Send a letter to your local paper supporting your local TAFE HERE

People’s Climate March Australia – November 27-29

Australian Unions will gather and walk alongside millions of people in hundreds of major cities around the world.

Join hundreds of thousands of Australians as we march for a transition to renewable energy, for secure job creation, for clean air, for a healthy environment and a safe climate.

The PSA will have a contingent of marchers. Come and join us. We are meeting at Hyde Park in Sydney at the Archibald Fountain at 1245 and will then join other marchers at the Domain

For more information click HERE.

PSA successful in reopening Grafton gaol

The PSA’s fight to have Grafton gaol reopened to ease dangerous overcrowding in the state’s prison system has been successful.

Read the Northern Star article HERE.

Awards under review

The NSW Industrial Relations Commission is reviewing all awards to ensure they are up to date with current language and provisions.

This process is undertaken every three years and is prescribed by Section 19 of the Industrial Relations Act 1996.

Members are advised that no alterations of conditions are negotiated through this process, as this is an administrative review only.

Awards may however undergo superficial changes including a change of name, a renumbering of provisions or removal of duplicate clauses for staff covered by multiple awards.

Additional information is available on the Industrial Relations Commission website.

Join the fight for penalty rates

The Turnbull Government is making plenty of noise about penalty rates, with Sunday rates for workers in hospitality and retail already singled out by the Productivity Commission.
Australian Unions is campaigning on behalf of workers who depend on penalty rates.

PSA members may volunteer to help HERE.

Or send letters to your local paper using Australian Unions’ online tool.