Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure: Flexible Working Hours Agreement update

Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) has now provided staff with their Flexible Working Hours Agreement proposal for consolidation and have identified the following Flexible Working Hours Agreements that they maintain, are in scope:

Botanic Gardens Trust Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2007

Department of Finance, Services and Innovation Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2015

Department of Justice Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2017

Department Premier’s Cabinet Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2022 (BDA)

Department Premier’s Cabinet Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2010 (part OLG)

Trade and Investment Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2013

Crown Employees (Planning Officers) Award – Annexure A^

(^Employees not employed under Planning Officers Award E.g. Employed in role under Administration and Clerical Award but flex conditions currently covered by Annexure A, are in scope for the proposed Flexible Working Hours Agreement)

DPHI representatives have provided comparison data to other flex arrangements in operation as part of the information sharing processes.

The last agreement is providing levels of consternation from our members. It appears that the agency is trying to split hairs between those employed under Planner classifications contained in Clause 4. Classifications and Salary Structures, and those who are not. It also buys into a long-standing PSA argument that staff are being mis-classified as Clerks rather than Planners.

What the members have already told the PSA:

1. They don’t want to lose banking
2. They have questioned the bandwidth requirements between 6am to 10pm and that this provides some sort of managerial expectation that staff will avail themselves in working unsocial hours for insufficient recompense
3. They have expressed the desire to expand banking to a consolidated agreement
4. They have mentioned why there is so much regulation placed on staff when senior managers are not living up to their requirements to stop staff from forfeiting hours

What’s next?

The PSA has now written back the DPHI representatives and advised of our initial concerns.

The PSA has:

1. made it clear to DPHI that staff who derive their flex conditions from the Planning Award should be out of scope
2. asked for information on the number of staff who would be considered as Clerks under the Planning Award
3. information on the amount of forfeited flex hours from each one of the Flexible Working Hours Agreements that are currently in operation

The PSA has said that if the membership were to even consider more unsociable elements of the DPHI proposed model for consolidation, then banking of flex must be back on the table.

Members are reminded that is a process of negotiation between the parties not consultation.

Yes, the agency has every right to discuss the proposals and consult with their workforce however, any outcome requires PSA agreement and that agreement is derived from you – our membership.

Members are asked to think about what they want from a Flexible Working Hours Agreement and of equal importance as telling us what you don’t want.

Contacts

Shane Howes
Industrial Officer