PSA News – 7 November 2014
TAFE Changes Moratorium Bill
The TAFE Changes Moratorium (Secure Future for Public Provision of Vocational Education and Training) Bill 2014 which was introduced by The Greens’ John Kaye is before the NSW Parliament.
The Bill aims to:
- restore TAFE funding by reversing massive budget cuts;
- recognise TAFE NSW as the principal provider of vocational education and training;
- stop rising fees and job losses; and
- freeze the NSW Government’s funding to private providers.
A copy of the Bill can be found HERE.
PSA win ensures rights of FACS workers to stand up on 13 November
The Government’s attempt to prevent FACS staff from attending the Thursday 13 November rally outside Parliament House against the privatisation of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) has been successfully blocked by a strong PSA response.
The PSA is holding the rally on 13 November to hand over a petition containing nearly 25,000 signatures of NSW voters with PSA members committing in large numbers to attend.
On 31 October, FACS Head Office issued a directive to managers that no further leave or extended breaks were to be granted for 13 November, attempting to block staff from attending the rally.
The PSA quickly lodged a dispute in the Industrial Relations Commission which was heard by the Acting President of the IRC, Justice Boland on 5 November.
Justice Boland stated that “the approach of the Department was somewhat heavy handed”.
As a result, FACS has confirmed that it will remove the blanket ban and advise that normal leave practices will apply for 13 November.
The fact that the Government attempted to stop staff from attending this rally highlights the effectiveness of PSA members standing up for their rights, and demonstrates why you need to attend the rally on 13 November.
Attend the rally at Macquarie Street, Sydney at 12.00 on Thursday 13 November
Service NSW – call for papers
On 4 November, The Greens John Kaye put forward a motion in Parliament calling for the release of all papers referring to:
| 1) | Any analysis of the cost and effectiveness of Services NSW and any plans to change the delivery mode or the structure of Service NSW, including: | |||
| • | The nature of delivery at sites | |||
| • | The number and location of sites | |||
| • | The number of employees in each location and any proposed changes to staff EFT numbers | |||
| • | The number and cost of proposed redundancies | |||
| • | Regional impact statements | |||
| • | The timetable for the opening of new service centres | |||
| • | Opening hours. | |||
| 2) | Any plans to close any or all of: | |||
| • | Fair Trading sites | |||
| • | NSW registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages sites | |||
| • | Motor Registries | |||
| • | Any other NSW government service site as consequence of the opening of Service NSW centres | |||
| • | The timetable for the closure of sites. | |||
| 3) | Expenditure on consultants and the services provided. | |||
Assignment to Role survey – reminder
There has been a fantastic response to the PSA’s survey on the draft Assignment to Role Guidelines released by the Public Service Commission.
View a copy of the draft Guidelines HERE.
The Assignment to Role process stands to have a significant impact on employment in the NSW public sector for those covered by the Government Sector Employment Act.
This does not include TAFEs, Universities, schools – other than General Assistants – or State Owned Corporations.
The PSA will report back with the survey results which will form the basis of our response to the Government.
Hats off to ODPP
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has made all its long-term temporary employees permanent.
This is a great outcome, both for the workers concerned and the services provided by ODPP.
Hopefully, all agencies will follow their example.
Coniston DOCS walk out in staffing protest
Staff at the Coniston office of the Department of Community Services walked off the job for one hour at 12 noon on 5 November in protest at a critical lack of staffing which is leaving vulnerable children in the Illawarra at risk.
More than 30 staff took part in the action which was covered by the local media.
Read the story in the Illawarra Mercury HERE.
Shattered staff at the Coniston office took similar action in 2013 following a tragic and avoidable incident in Wollongong.
The office had lost an entire team, equivalent to six full-time caseworkers.
Their action began a domino effect with Community Services offices across the state walking off the job to highlight their own concerns about staffing levels.
The situation has since declined further with up to 10 child protection positions lost at Coniston in the past two years.
Bankstown/East Hills Jobs, Rights, Services rally and forum
There will be a rally on Tuesday 11 November, 2014 at the office of Glenn Brookes MP (20 Revesby Place, Revesby) at 5.00pm and then a public forum between 6.00pm and 7.30pm at Revesby Workers Club with speakers including PSA Assistant General Secretary, Steve Turner.
Download the flyer HERE.
Attention all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members
The PSA is updating its database in relation to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
Having your name, work location, email address (home and work) and phone number (work and mobile) on file allows your union to better communicate with you.
Most importantly, we encourage you to identify as being an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander member.
