LMBR bulletin re LMBR Action Plan – 25 March 2015
LMBR bulletin re LMBR Action Plan – 25 March 2015 (PDF version)
PSA LMBR meeting with DEC re the LMBR Action Plan
PSA delegates, staff and the PSA Director of Industrial, Andrew Holland met with DEC representatives on Monday, 23 March to discuss progressing the LMBR Action Plan. The Action Plan was developed following PSA tabling concerns about LMBR stability and its effect on members.
PSA Feedback on the DEC LMBR Action Plan
Over the past two weeks, PSA staff have been speaking with members in LMBR schools to get feedback on the Department’s Action Plan.
The main issues that members have raised with us are workload and unpaid overtime. Our position on your behalf has been made clear to the Department. Their Action Plan must directly address the stress and workload problems arising from the instability of the LMBR platforms.
We have therefore asked that the Department provide funding tied to:
• additional SAS staff resources, and
• paid overtime or time off in lieu for all additional hours worked.
The form of the relief above should be at the election of the SAS Staff at each school.
The PSA also restated our position that deployment officers should be reinstated and effectively trained in all the LMBR platforms.
The Technical Issues
Thanks to your input there has been considerable progress on a number of the technical issues Notably, DEC advises that Exception Guard, Spinning Wheel and Multiple Session Login is being looked at with solutions currently being developed.
Manuals and quick resource guides will be more easily accessible to staff and be more prominently displayed on the DEC intranet. DEC LMBR Bulletins are aiming to be released every two weeks or more frequently if important updates are introduced.
A single entry point focused resource is being developed to address LMBR support requests. DEC is hoping to have this in place for Term 2. Where calls cross multiple areas, they will be able to be transferred without additional queue time.
Where support requests are unable to be resolved at level one, there will be a level two escalation notification and process for resolution.
DEC will be providing BPC refresher training for existing staff in LMBR schools. DEC hopes to have this ready for Term 2. The DEC proposes a two day course, one day on SALM, one day on SAP.
DEC advises that SAP training via TAFE is not geared to SAP in the LMBR environment. SAS Staff who undertake TAFE SAP training may be disappointed as the training may not be readily applied in Schools via LMBR.
Next Steps
The PSA will now put your feedback in writing to the Department. Our correspondence will also include a request for WHS data on pre and post LMBR incidents in the 229 schools and information on what systems they have to effectively monitor the WHS risks and incidences arising from LMBR.
While the steps the department outlined in the LMBR Action Plan go some way to addressing your concerns, it is clear that members want practical relief from the high workloads and stress as well as hands on support for LMBR.
The PSA will continue to work with you to focus the department’s attention on addressing this issue.
Error in Red Tape, Apologies for the confusion.
In the most recent edition of Red Tape, which promoted the Unions NSW Scroll of Honour awarded to PSA activist Mary Court, the PSA mistakenly referred to Mary as a PSA delegate. The delegates for the Metropolitan West, District are Marianne van Esch, Jo Nieass and Angela Field. PSA apologises to Marianne, Jo, Angela and Mary for the mix up.
