Justice Corporate Services – Strategic Human Resources dispute update – July 2018 (PDF version)

The PSA recently lodged a consultation dispute in relation to the restructure in Strategic Human Resources – Leadership Development Team.

The dispute was listed for conciliation in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) on 18 July 2017. The PSA raised a number of concerns including the following:

• At the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on 25 June 2018, the PSA asked about pending restructures. The Department of Justice did not advise the PSA at the meeting about the pending restructure in the Strategic HR Leadership Development Team.
• On 28 June 2018 Strategic HR management met with staff individually to advise them they are affected employees and that they would be required to undertake a priority assessment process in a pending restructure.
• Strategic HR did not advise the PSA of the pending restructure or the meetings with affected staff until after the meetings had occurred, denying staff the opportunity to have the support of their union at this difficult time.
• Strategic HR did not provide the PSA with the new Role Descriptions. This again is in contrast to the discussion at the recent JCC where the Department agreed that Role Descriptions should be provided to the PSA as part of a restructure consultation process.
• Strategic HR did not consult with staff members in relation to Work Health and Safety workload issues.
• Strategic HR has engaged Agency contractors to perform ongoing work that is within the roles of staff in the Team. This is contrary to the Contingent Workforce Management Guidelines.

The above failures are not only breaches of the Award, the Consultative Arrangements Framework and the Work Health & Safety Act, they have the potential to derail the collaborative approach that the parties are trying to develop through the agreed Consultation Forums.

The PSA also stressed the importance of the Leadership Development Program in developing management capability across the Department of Justice and that this is not a time to delete roles within the Leadership Development Team.

The PSA sought the following:

• that Role Descriptions be provided to the PSA for consultation
• that a meeting with Strategic HR be held after the provision of Role Descriptions
• that PSA members are not affected pending genuine consultation.

The IRC listened to the PSA’s concerns and noted our right to prosecute in relation to consultation breaches.

As a result of proceedings the following process applies in relation the restructure:

• the Role Descriptions are to be provided today
• the PSA will meet with Strategic Human Resources on Friday morning
• the members who have been advised that they are affected staff are now potentially affected staff pending the consultation process.

If you have any concerns that you would like to raise personally, please contact the PSA MSC on 13000 772 679, where all matters will be treated with the strictest of confidence.