The PSA has been meeting with icare management over members’ concerns about COVID-19 restrictions and their impact on working arrangements.
Flexible Working Hours Agreement
With many employees now working from home, communications to staff have focused very much on working standard hours; that is your contract hours of seven hours a day.
The PSA is expecting further communications and with the GE for each of their areas of responsibilities regarding flexibility.
In the interim the PSA would like to remind members of the following:
- Please record the actual hours you work – do not under- or over-record, this is important if there are any workers’ compensation issues,
- Do discuss with your people leader if you need to have flexibility and how that might work,
- Do not take sick leave to offset for flex leave – sick leave should be for when you are sick
- If you are having any difficulties remember you can contact the PSA for assistance.
Working from home arrangements
There are a lot of discussions in the media on workers returning to offices and all school students returning to school from today – 25 May 2020. Therefore, it is understandable members will be concerned about how this will impact them.
In general, where it is reasonably practicable to do so, if you are able to work from home and are doing so, it is expected this arrangement will continue in icare for the time being. There are a wide range of issues that have to be taken into consideration in returning to the workplace and the PSA, on members’ behalf, will be engaged in ongoing consultation around this.
Again, any members who are experiencing difficulties with their arrangements are encouraged to contact the PSA for further assistance.
Next Joint Consultative Committee (JCC)
The next JCC meeting with icare management is on Thursday 28 May. The JCC is attended by PSA Delegates and industrial staff as part of the consultative arrangements so that matters such as the above can be addressed.