Department of Customer Service Peak Joint Consultative Committee update

May 16, 2024 Better Regulation - Births Deaths and Marriages - Building Professionals Board - Bulletins - Corporate Services - Customer Service - Customer, Delivery and Transformation - Digital and ICT - Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor - Fair Trading, NSW - Governance and Program Management Office - Government Technology Platforms - Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission - ICT/Digital Investment and Assurance - ICT/Digital Sourcing - Information and Privacy Commissioner - IPART - Liquor and Gaming NSW - Long Service Corporation - NSW Telco Authority - Office of the Registrar General - Personal Injury Commission - Policy and Innovation - Professional Standards Authority - Regulatory Policy and Services - Rental Bond Board - Revenue NSW - SafeWork - Service NSW - Spacial Services - State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) - Subsidence Advisory NSW - Workers Compensation Commission - Workers Compensation Independent Review Office (WIRO)

Your union attended the Department of Customer Service (DCS) Peak Joint Consultative Committee on 14 May 2024. The following matters were discussed:

Contingent, temporary, contractor and consultant labour

A major focus of the PSA has been the rampant overuse of consultants, contractors, and contingent labour across the public service over the last 10+ years, to the detriment of our members. Your union, the PSA, is pleased to report that DCS has now reduced this to 4.6- per cent of staffing and there has been a reduction of 90 contractors since January 2024. The PSA will keep a close eye on this issue. The direct employment of public servants will continue to be a key focus for your union.

The Department is still going through funding cycles and the functional review is still being undertaken.

Mobility

In total, 75 people have gone through the mobility process. Nineteen were placed successfully and a further 23 are still actively engaged in the process. DCS advised that they are looking at what can be done for staff on maternity leave who have to wait until declared excess to go through the mobility process. Further updates will be provided on this.

The PSA has campaigned tirelessly for years around mobility and support to retain skills and knowledge in the public sector, and our members in jobs, particularly when there are restructures and reforms. It is pleasing to see the retention of impacted staff and we will continue to monitor progress both at DCS and across the sector.

McDougall Review of Safework

PSA requested further information on the 46 recommendations from the McDougall Review and were advised that the government has endorsed the recommendations and wants Safework to be a stand-alone body. The first tranche of public submissions (including the PSA’s submission) are being released now. Transformation and Change teams are being created with a Director being appointed and a funding submission being created. Neither DCS nor PSA are looking at reviewing the Safework Award as yet. PSA will engage with management in coming weeks to begin the process of creating Terms of Reference for a Safework JCC.

Service NSW: Customer Complaints and Fines Dispute

PSA reminded the Department that we are due back in the Commission on 20 May 2024. A further discussion will be held prior to the report back.

Clause 17 of the Service NSW Award: Public holidays on Rostered Days Off dispute

The PSA believed that we had reached in-principle agreement with the Department in relation to this matter however discovery of an area of Service NSW that has introduced its own interpretation of Clause 17.5 and instigated its own ruling or its own area, has delayed matters. Members in Service NSW will be advised as to the outcome of this matter by separate bulletin.

The next Joint Consultative Committee Meeting will occur on 5 August 2024. Members can raise matters of concern with local delegates who will bring them to the DCS Delegates’ Committee on their behalf. The next meeting of the Delegates’ Committee will be held on 22 July 2024.