Finance Services and Innovation bulletin – FWHA – 3 Nov 2015 (PDF version)
The PSA met with DFSI management on 15 October as part of the DFSI FWHA Consultative Committee.
Scheduled monthly meetings until June 2016 allow one delegate from each division to attend these meetings. This arrangement ensures adequate union representation so members’ views can be heard.
Draft clauses were circulated and delegates were invited to seek member feedback on each prior to November’s meeting.
The following Thursday, six delegates from DFSI divisions met with PSA Industrial and Organising staff at PSA House to further our single agreement.
Some suggestions in moving forward were:
- A PSA listening day
- Video conferences
- Survey Monkey
- Strike action if required.
Flexibility in the workplace is important to members and we intend to push to maintain existing flexibility arrangements across divisions.
Members have expressed concern in relation to the Public Service Commission’s flexibility parameters. The parameters are overly rigid and ignore the work/life reality which the department claims to encourage.
For example, the parameters seek to:
- Exclude banking of accrued FWH credits
- Prioritise “operational requirements and service delivery” over the existing bandwidth
- Limit settlement periods
- Limit the carry forward of accumulated FWH credits.
Imposing a one-size-fits-all approach to flexible working hours is clearly unworkable and will not facilitate the work/life balance that our members seek and will also impact on the ability of various work groups to deliver services.
The Department has said that it cannot move on these parameters.
However, the PSA intends to challenge these parameters however we can, and fight hard to maintain current conditions. It is up to members to bring their arguments to workplace delegates on how these FWHA parameters will impact upon their ability to effectively do their jobs. We will put forward each case to management.
SafeWork inspectors had brought questions regarding their 38-hour week arrangement. DFSI indicated that a clause will be included that indicates this will not vary.
The PSA is highlighting the fact the status quo is working well for both management and employees and that the PSA is open to moving to a single agreement providing that it allows for continued flexibility around matters that are important to our members. These matters include child care and other carers’ responsibilities.
Once we analyse the results of the Survey Monkey we will send out another bulletin.
If you would like to be involved in this issue we encourage you to please get in contact with one of your workplace delegates or PSA staff. We next meet with management on 19 November.
PSA industrial advocate: Matthew Drake-Brockman or PSA organiser: Merv Christensen
Delegates: Cassandra Coleman (OSR), Kathy Maltby (Better Regulations), Garth Nolan (OSR), John Gardner (Government Property), Jonathon Lynch (Builders Professionals Board), Christine Baillie (LPI)/Alan White (Fair Trading)