Members would be aware that Transport for NSW Divisional Branches Org Design consultations commenced on the 26 August 2020 with the CST Customer Payment Services branch livestream to staff.
Other branches have been rolled out and the current status for your branch can be found in the 8 October 2020 Evolving Transport status report HERE. These reports are updated for every fortnightly Joint Consultative (JCG) meeting.
Regional and Outer Metropolitan and Information & Place Branches also started rolling out Org Design proposals in the week commencing 12 October 2020.
Unions attend fortnightly Evolving Transport JCG meetings to deal with issues raised by members during the three-week branch consultation periods.
The PSA recommends members submit concerns regarding your branches proposal directly to the nominated contact in the Evolving Transport branch consultation pack. The PSA will also be lodging a log of member issues for feedback for each Org design proposal.
If you wish for the PSA to include any issue in its issues log then forward through to your Delegate or to .
It’s clear the proposed timeline for this process is ambitious and that many issues are emerging which may render the consultation process as defective for members and unions. TfNSW has been put on notice that the unions will be seeking extension of the consultation period or redesign of proposals which are clearly detrimental to members, or where draft proposals are missing important information that will impact members.
Role design and award coverage process also operates during Evolving Transport, where RMS roles may be proposed to transfer to the Transport Award. Please contact the PSA for advice. Role transfer will not occur without union agreement.
Other news
Other restructures are running concurrently within the Transport Cluster, including Corporate Services and Transport Shared Services, Payroll Personnel, Finance and Assets and Workplace Services.
The PSA and other unions have been organising Microsoft Teams member meetings across TSS and Divisional branches to get feedback.
Union members have responded to a number of these proposals with disgust. Unions have requested and received an extension for consultation for TSS Payroll and Personnel and Finance proposals to submit an alternative proposal.
Combined Union delegates met on the 14th of October to discuss all of these restructure proposals across TfNSW. Delegates endorsed a Professionals Australia guide for members that outlines a way forward for delegates and members dealing with these monster restructures. The 5 key points are:
- Wake up!! Pay attention. Educate yourselves and others.
Transport has spent the last 14 months feeding you emails, presentations, video conferences, consultations and packs with little to no information that is relevant to your role. That is now changing, it’s time to re-engage and inform yourself. Visit stay informed, attend your meetings and ask questions. Tell your colleagues to do the same. - Provide your feedback to Transport.
If you have something to say about the structure, make sure you do. By all means take a day or three to think about it, but then send your feedback. If you don’t, then you are missing your only opportunity. Consultation is only for three weeks, and Transport is obliged to consider all feedback - Provide that feedback to the union.
The union will want to see your feedback as well. We can follow it up and make sure it doesn’t disappear, but we have our own channels to raise your feedback direct to transport. - Talk about the issues (Control the narrative).
If you have something to say about the structure, tell everyone who will listen in transport. By discussing and sharing the issues you amplify your feedback. This is because you engage with others who may also send feedback, but also because if people are talking about it, it makes it way up to management as independently well. - Ask a colleague to join.
It’s only because of unions that the RMS dissolution bill was amended to protect RMS award staff, and only because of unions that you got your last pay increase instead of nothing. It is only because of unions that the consultation process (as bad as it is) occurred and that you have an opportunity to have a say. The best way you ensure we keep this good work going is by asking your colleagues to join. It is easy to join the PSA online at psa.asn.au/join.
Only with member engagement and participation will the Department listen, consult and accept changes to these draft proposals.
The combined union goals are to stop job cuts and hold the Government to its current No Forced Redundancies commitment.
If members have any concerns or wish to be more involved in the union campaign, please contact Ben James at the PSA Transport Cluster Organiser at or on 1300 772 679.