Like our members who were first and second responders to the bush fire crisis, it is again PSA members who will be relied upon in the coming days, weeks and months to deliver critical and essential services to the community.
The PSA stands shoulder to shoulder with members to support you through these unprecedented times.
Important PSA bulletins to Read on Covid-19
- 12 March COVID-19 and its effect on your workplace conditions
- 17 March Coronavirus update – Housing, FACS & Community Services
- 20 March Member Support Centre Extends Hours for COVID-19
Meetings with Department of Communities and Justice on Covid-19
The PSA has received a number of urgent briefings from The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) on what measures they are putting in place to protect staff during this unprecedented time.
At each briefing the PSA raised a number of serious concerns around staff safety including what personal protective equipment (PPE) has been provided and what protocols have been put in place in each workplace.
The Department has advised the following:
- Non-essential meetings and visits are to be postponed or cancelled, this incudes home visits (Community Services) and customer service visits (Housing).
- If there are essential visits, appropriate PPE must be provided and a risk assessment done prior to commencing.
- District Offices, CSC’s and Housing Offices are open and continue to be open. The Department is seeking advice from the Health Department about the maximum number of clients/people who should be attending.
- The Department is encouraging working from home arrangements where appropriate. Not everyone can work from home, if you believe you can work from home then you should discuss this with your manager.
- Stronger worded messages are being sent to clients as well as notices to be displayed in offices. The notices/posters are currently being produced and will encourage clients to ring or use email rather than attend offices.
- Both the Helpline and Housing Contact Centre have trialled remote working and as a result of the success of the trials it is expected that more staff will be able to work remotely.
- Members should not be hot-desking and should clean their desks, computers and phones prior to using them and at the end of the day.
- Senior Officers including Executive District Directors and Deputy Secretaries will continue to work closely in developing and refining plans and protocols and have committed to distributing simple advice on decisions made affecting staff regularly.
Additional FAQ documents are being prepared by DCJ for staff and will be available shortly on both the intranet and internet.
You can access information for DCJ staff HERE.
Your safety
Your employer is responsible for the safety for all staff. If you have concerns for your health and safety, such as unsafe work practices, absence of PPE, please raise them with your supervisor, manager or team leader. The Department stated that they are currently having trouble in securing hand sanitiser and some PPE.
If the concerns are not addressed, please lodge an incident report through SAP immediately and contact the PSA if no prompt action is taken to address your concerns.
Member Support Centre 1300 772 679
Vulnerable workers
Some workers are at higher risk due to age, current medical treatment of existing medical conditions.
If you believe you fall into this category of worker, you should email your line manager requesting modified duties in order to avoid or minimise client contact and / or work from home.
Temporary and casual staff
The PSA also raised concerns with how a shutdown or lockdown would be handled, especially with regards to temporary and casual employees. The Department confirmed that all current contracts will be honoured throughout the crisis.
There are no plans to cease the employment of casuals, for example Contact workers in Community Services, their work will continue although within the current restrictions and remotely where possible.
Casuals will be given access to the 20 days’ special leave in the same way as all ongoing and temporary employees.
The PSA will report on further negotiations with regards to casuals and temporary staff as soon as there are any developments.
Working remotely
Many field workers have administrative work, such as writing assessments, court documents, care plans, which can be undertaken from home. Managers need to accommodate a flexible model of working – a mix of office based and home based. Working from home does not necessarily mean five days a week or even full days.
Minimising workers’ presence in the workplace where possible and requested should be the goal. As the NSW Premier said, “If you have the capacity to work from home, you should do so.”