PSA delegates and Industrial staff met with Trustee and Guardian management last Thursday 15 August.  Please see a summary of the JCC meeting below.

CEO Update 

It was confirmed that Brian Woods has been extended to 27 September 2024 in his acting CEO role.

Mr Woods stated he is focused on staff and their development. NSWTG has been working with TAFENSW to develop courses on micro credentialing so members can include additional skills and courses in their employment history. People and culture are currently doing wellbeing checks and a training review. The new budget will prioritise training throughout the year. Regarding trauma and care and communication with people with intellectual disability, a baseline training model will be developed within the context of recent Work Health and Safety incidents.

The CEO provided an update on the recent leadership forum. 200 people from NSWTG attended and the forum included anyone with a supervisory role. The CEO aims to get the entire organisation together by the end of the year to develop a new strategic plan for NSWTG. As part of the strategic plan, a reward and recognition program will be implemented to recognise the work staff have done for customers.

The CEO stated that it is important for the CEO that NSWTG work sites are safe. There will be a clean up of physical items in PJP. All amenities including fridges will be reviewed to ensure they are safe.

Recent Workplace Incidents and Actions Taken

The recent safety incidents in Wollongong and the PJP shop front were raised for discussion.

NSWTG advised the PSA that the incidents involved customers’ escalating behaviour on site and as an immediate measure, Converge was engaged to debrief with staff and follow up sessions will occur.

While NSWTG is currently in the process of investigating these incidents, as a preliminary response, at Wollongong, NSWTG will be installing full screens from counter to ceiling, a door bell, intercom, CCTV cameras, duress alarms, and the door to the office will remain locked.

Alarms should be installed in Wollongong by 22 August 2024. The screens will take 6 weeks to install at Wollongong as the design needs to be completed. Further measures include the introduction of a concierge at offices to try and deescalate challenging client behaviours. This will be modelled on the Service NSW concierge role.

Duress alarms are already at PJP and People and Culture will coordinate a session with staff regarding how to use the alarms over the next couple of weeks. There will be a consultant engaged to assess each location regarding how incidents are dealt with including review of CCTV footage.

The CEO emphasised that he wants to pull out all stops regarding staff safety. The CEO stated “we have a zero tolerance” for risks.

In response the PSA advised NSWTG that members want to provide input regarding these Work Health And Safety incidents. People and Culture have offered a meeting and are keen to receive feedback. The PSA also raised the difficulty of reporting incidents and suggested that the internet link to reporting be made more obvious. People and Culture replied and advised that they are updating information and the platform.

The PSA suggested that a recording at the beginning of calls be played when a client rings so that clients understand that abusive behaviour will not be tolerated, and a call can be terminated if there is abusive behaviour.

PATH Implementation

NSWTG advised that PATH is now live. Since going live, 3 issues have arisen. The first being incorrect leave balances for people on secondments which affects the whole of DCJ. Secondly, the PG allowance was not carried over initially, but this issue has been resolved. Finally, regarding displaced staff in Finance, 2 out of 5 employees have been placed in the new structure, and the remaining staff members are on the Government’s mobility program and are waiting to be placed in a role.

The PSA raised the issue of AH allowances not paid in the launch of MyWork Zone. NSWTG advised the payment of AH are now resolved and payments have been processed.

Role of a Support Person

NSWTG advised that sometimes support persons are invited to meetings by members when they are not needed. NSWTG stated that the role of the support person arises within a specific context, specifically performance or conduct matters, rather than regular meetings with management such as 1 on 1 meetings about tasks and allocations.

In response, the PSA advised that there is often a lack of information and clarity to the member and/or potential support person as to why a meeting is occurring, and often meetings take place with performance issues in the background.

NSWTG replied and committed to being more proactive in indicating clearly what a meeting is a about so that the need for a support person can be properly determined. The PSA advised that this would be helpful as currently meetings are often called at short notice with some kind of history of conflict between management and the member. The PSA also raised the fact that the role of the support person policy has not been updated and all staff should be aware of the policy.

Consideration of Recruitment and Vacant Roles Report

As part of the PSA’s campaign to ensure ongoing employment for temporary and casual staff the PSA has been collecting data on roles within the NSW Government Sector. Unlike many agencies, NSWTG have refused to provide this data to the PSA. The matter has been the subject of recent NSW Industrial Relations Commission dispute. Rather than provide the data, NSWTG have offered a meeting to discuss the issue.

The PSA are still adamant that the data is necessary in working toward better employment conditions for members. The PSA questioned why NSWTG are not open and transparent about this matter unlike other agencies.

Working from Home: Premier’s Department Circular C2024-03

Discussion was had regarding the recent Premiers Department Circular and the affect it may have on current working arrangements. The CEO stated that NSWTG cannot have everyone in the office at once as there is limited capacity. Therefore, the 3 days a week in the office approach is reasonable. Flexible work plans are currently being reviewed and in 3 months there will be another review. NSWTG is also seeking to understand how flexible working arrangements are done in other Department of Communities and Justice agencies.

Artificial Intelligence Trial update

There will a trail in November regarding technology to increase productivity and there will be a business case developed following this. The MS contact centre platform is in pilot phase. Regarding improved data compliance, the project is at its data ingestion stage.

Focus Time Trial

The PSA advised that the union wants to be more involved in the project.  The CEO advised that NSWTG would be happy to share outcomes and receive feedback. The PSA stressed that workload is overwhelming members right now, so members want to be assured that the solutions proposed will actually address workload pressures.  The CEO noted that customer feedback has been mixed in relation to reduced telephone contact hours and he is not convinced that this approach is having the intended outcome.  Task numbers have plateaued with complex work tasks remaining.

Filling of Temporary Vacancies

The PSA asked NSWTG what the process is in terms of filling temporary vacancies and how the Professional Development Registers (PDR’s) in Estate Management and Estate Administration are used and applied. The PSA highlighted that the PDRs are like informal talent pools, however there is a lack of transparency around the process especially in relation to Temporary Assignments. Also, the PSA advised NSWTG that higher graded roles are being filled, while 3/4 roles remain unfilled causing workload problems.

Regarding PDRs, NSWTG advised that it will take the matter offline to discuss with the PSA. The CEO also stated that he does not want the same people receiving acting up opportunities all the time, and opportunities should be shared among staff. The CEO emphasised that he wants a clear approach to recruitment process and development opportunities.