As mentioned in our previous bulletin, the PSA is pursing two claims against the Department of Communities and Justice in respect of the entitlements of associates:

1. The Historical Claim: the PSA is asserting that the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Reviewed Award 2009 (the Conditions Award) and the Crown Employees (Administrative and Clerical Officers – Salaries) Award (the Salaries Award) apply to associates and have applied since associates have been engaged as public servants (as opposed to appointed officeholders);
2. The Prospective Claim: the PSA is pursuing the creation of an award specifically for associates, to be known as the Crown Employees (Associates) Award which will apply prospectively and will apply along with the Conditions Award and Salaries Award.

The Historical Claim

The Historical Claim is the subject of proceedings in the Industrial Relations Commission. Those proceedings are presently the subject of settlement negotiations.

Any agreement reached in these negotiations will be subject to a final vote of membership and approval from the PSA’s executive.

To inform the PSA’s position in the negotiations, we request that membership complete the following survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3WPP6P3

The Prospective Claim

In respect to the creation of the Crown Employees (Associates) Award, the PSA provided the department with a log of claims setting out the key terms sought by the associates on 18 October 2023. The log of claims was based upon member feedback to our previous survey conducted on 29 September 2023.

The Department has advised that it will engage in negotiations with the PSA in respect of the log of claims in early 2024 and they intend to propose a series of meeting dates for this purpose. We will provide a further update in advance of those meetings.

In the event the Department delays the meetings or otherwise fails to respond to the PSA’s log of claims, the PSA intends to commence proceedings in the Industrial Relations Commission to create the Crown Employees (Associates) Award by arbitration.