OSR Maitland Bulletin – 19 September 2016 (PDF Version)

This bulletin is to update OSR Maitland staff on the progress of the long-running dispute between the PSA and OSR Management regarding the incorrect grading of Grade 1/2 roles OSR Management also refuses to refusal to provide a meaningful response to the your union’s extensive submission from February 2016 outlining why an upgrading of the role is justified.

At a members’ meeting at OSR Maitland in July, PSA Industrial Advocates spoke to staff about the next steps in resolving this dispute. Following this meeting, the PSA communicated twice with OSR Management seeking further engagement on its apparent refusal to provide a response to our submission, and its refusal to indicate whether it would meet our request to engage an external independent evaluator to assess the work of 1/2s against the Capability Framework of grades 1/2 and 3/4.

We did not receive a response to our correspondence.

Subsequently, we lodged an s130 dispute notification with the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) in an attempt to force OSR Management back to the table to address these issues. The matter was heard on Wednesday, 14 September.

At the IRC both parties put forward their respective arguments.

The PSA sought:

• A proper detailed response to our submission

• a commitment from OSR to engage an independent evaluator.

The PSA disputes there was proper consultation on the formation of the role descriptions and maintains that the Grade 1/2 duties do not fit within the low-level capabilities assigned to the new role descriptions. We say that an independent, external and appropriately qualified practitioner will ultimately be needed to resolve this impasse.

Final recommendations made by Commissioner Newell were:

• OSR furnish the PSA with the “consultation material” used with respect of the role descriptions

• OSR provide a detailed response to the PSA’s submissions.

Commissioner Newall also made the suggestion that, if OSR agreed, the matter could be arbitrated if it is unable to be resolved in conciliation. Arbitration at the IRC would not be technically binding on the parties, however, the parties could choose to adopt the result. This option remains open to the PSA.

Once the PSA has received the response to our submission we will analyse its content and hold a further members’ meeting to discuss our options.