Today, 13 November 2024, distressed members from Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on temporary contracts informed the PSA that they were directed this morning to attend meetings with EPA’s Human Resources (HR) and advised that they may bring a support person with them.

Members thought they were called to meetings due to performance issues, only to be told, due to the EPA’s budgetary constraints, their contracts would be terminated early.

The PSA is appalled with EPA’s management regarding the absence of any engagement and/or consultation with the PSA and their decision to terminate temporary employees’ contracts before they were due to expire.

The EPA have treated their staff and the PSA with the utmost contempt in their lack of engagement regarding this distressing announcement to affected staff.

The have showed a complete lack of humanity and compassion in informing staff that their contracts would be terminating prior to Christmas and one affected member commented: ‘this is a brutal approach by the EPA and feels like the EPA’s hunger games’.

As a result of the EPA’s poor management of their budget, having delivered their temporary staff the worst possible Christmas present, the PSA intends to lodge an urgent dispute in the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.

Further, due to the absence of any consultation by the EPA, the PSA will also be seeking information from the EPA regarding:

• How many members of staff are affected?
• What were the roles of each affected staff member?
• Where were these roles located?
• And what work was undertaken by staff.

The PSA will also seek an up-to-date organisational structure.

The PSA will be directing our members NOT to undertake any of the functions where roles undertaken by contracted staff have been terminated.

A members meeting will be arranged for Monday 18 November 2024 with details to be provided shortly.