Home Care Bulletin – 28 January 2015 (PDF version)

On 16 January 2015, the PSA received another letter from NSW Industrial Relations (available HERE).

This was in reply to the PSA’s letter of 5 December 2014 (available HERE).

The PSA re-stated the differences between the parties which are preventing an agreement being reached on a Home Care Transfer Package.

These are:

1. No provision for PSA members to choose whether they wish to transfer to the new employer once that employer is known;
2. Lack of commitment from the Government to place any agreement reached into a legally enforceable deed;
3. The transfer payment offered to staff being limited to a maximum of eight weeks and the eight weeks being on a sliding scale (see Link HERE).

Staff who have two years or less service receive nothing. The PSA believes this is discriminatory as Ferry employees received a 30 week transfer package similar to that in the Power Industry, Lotteries and other areas that have been privatised; and

4. The Government’s failure to recognise the conditions that our members enjoy in Home Care over and above those contained in the Home Care Award.

The Government’s reply reiterated the offer is limited to the eight week transfer payment.

Further, it said that instruction has still not been received from the Government and they could not confirm whether any agreement reached would be contained in a legally enforceable deed.

This therefore means the PSA cannot guarantee any agreement reached can be protected and the Government has still not yet responded to confirm it will protect those conditions enjoyed over and above those contained in the current Home Care Award.

Home Care delegates have now discussed the Government’s response and have resolved to:

1. call on the Government to guarantee that any agreement reached will be contained within a deed that can be legally enforced by the PSA on behalf of its members;

2. prepare to lodge an award in the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW for those conditions (see Link HERE) that are enjoyed by PSA members and will be lost should the Government not guarantee to protect these conditions; and

3. campaign against the Government’s eight week package and publicise the discriminatory stance of eight weeks for Home Care employees and and thirty weeks for those in male-dominated industries.