Legal Aid: PSA acts on temporary staffing - Public Service Association

Legal Aid: PSA acts on temporary staffing

Temp Staff - July 2020 (PDF version)

It has been brought to the attention of the PSA that members on temporary contracts are being regularly left in the dark about whether their contracts will be renewed.

Examples include a staff member whose contract expired on a Friday, but by the end of Friday, they still did not know if they were going to be renewed. Their PSA Delegate advised them to come in on Monday anyway, which they did. On Monday, they were informed that their contract was actually being renewed. The PSA has been told that this story is far from unusual.

This situation is frankly unacceptable for a number of reasons. It puts staff in an impossible position in terms of arranging alternative employment. Should I look for another job, or will Legal Aid decide at the last minute to renew my contract? Colleagues are not even able to plan farewell drinks for staff who are leaving.

The PSA has today contacted the Manager HR and requested a meeting to discuss this and other issues affecting temporary employees, including:

  • length of contracts
  • maternity leave
  • a re-engagement register
  • timely information regarding renewals.

It is time Legal Aid started treating its temporary employees with the respect they deserve.

The best thing temporary employees can do to ensure dignified treatment is to join the union.

If you or a colleague are interested in being a delegate, please contact the PSA Legal Aid Organiser Glenn Duncan at .

Do you know someone who still needs to join the PSA?

You can support the work of the PSA and delegates to get better outcomes for everyone just by asking your colleagues to JOIN the PSA.

 

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