Office Liquor Gaming & Racing – Restructure
Office Liquor Gaming & Racing Restructure – December 2015 (PDF version)
The PSA is supporting members during the transition to Liquor and Gaming NSW
The NSW Government is establishing Liquor and Gaming NSW (L&G NSW) and the Office of Racing.
The PSA has been listening to members and raising your concerns with the executive of the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) and the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA).
Next year, staff of OLGR and ILGR will have to apply for roles in the new organisations if they wish to remain in their current line of work in the NSW Government.
The PSA has concerns with the speed, approach and likely outcomes of the reforms
At the start of the process, the PSA was told of the reforms to create L&GNSW immediately before all staff were advised. This limited the PSA’s scope to shape the reforms from the start.
The process means that some staff may not secure roles in the new organisations.
It is not clear if the proposed new structures, particularly for areas such as casino inspection, are the best way forward.
The PSA has met with members and non-members at OLGR, ILGA and on-site at the casino.
We have put two sets of staff questions to management and negotiated on these, with the management responses available on your intranet. We will keep listening to members as these reforms unfold.
After PSA advocacy on behalf of members, we have had some wins
The PSA has secured staff not on the Crown Employees Award, such as casino inspectors, a salary-matching outcome. This means that they can apply for jobs in L&GNSW with an equivalent salary.
Initially, this was not the case for some of these staff; casino inspectors would have been limited to applying at G3-4 although their pay, excluding a 30 percent loading, is Grade 5. In addition, they would have had to apply after staff applying at grade.
The PSA pushed strongly on this injustice to secure equivalent matched salaries in the new structure and an ability to apply in Stage 1, just like other staff applying at grade. The PSA also corrected some of the current salary data, which had not been calculated properly and would have further disadvantaged staff.
The PSA has been able to confirm that any voluntary redundancies for casino staff will include their 30 percent loading.
General Scale and Grade 1-2 staff have been told it is likely that there will be no roles at these grades in the new structure. They were also told they would only be able to apply for Grade 3-4 roles and during a process when these roles would be advertised on the open market.
The PSA has now secured a better process for these staff. Justice HR staff will scan at-level vacancies across the whole Department for possible opportunities. This is an additional step to Grade 3-4 applications (as above) or voluntary redundancy.
The PSA has also protected staff well-being by ensuring managers are engaging properly with staff about their concerns.
We are still pushing on remaining member concerns
The PSA has repeatedly questioned why there is no internal stage, where staff can apply for roles ‘not at grade’. Step 4 of the NSW Government Agency Change Management Guidelines is missing: “Remaining positions are advertised internally to all qualified members of staff”. This step should occur between Stages 1 and 2 of recruitment.
The PSA has not received adequate justification for the proposed approach. However, management has recently advised reassignment within the cluster will be an option for people not securing roles in the new organisations. The PSA will liaise with management further on how this aspect of the process will work.
The PSA remains concerned the future of the Newcastle Office is in doubt. The PSA has examined some specific member issues for Newcastle staff, including a reassignment option and likely arrangements if the office is to be closed at a later stage. Details have been provided to affected staff.
The PSA is continuing to raise any new member concerns in negotiations with management.
What happens next?
The PSA is to meet management on
11 December to catalogue issues and develop steps for 2016. We will hold further member meetings as needed.
What can you do?
- Print out this Bulletin and put it on your notice board
- Share it with your colleagues and ask them to join the PSA
- Get involved by raising concerns and preferred solutions with your delegates.
Delegates and PSA contacts:
Delegate Stephen Jackson OLGR
Alternative Stephen Thomas
Delegate Jamie Paras OLGR (Newcastle)
Delegate: Mark England – ILGA
Alternative Luke Freeman
Organiser Heather Smith
Industrial Advocate Kate Lawrence-Haynes
Industrial Advocate Paul Townsend
