LMBR update

LMBR Update 20 August 2015 (PDF version)

Recently the Daily Telegraph put the spotlight on some of the failings that 229 LMBR schools have been facing with the rollout of LMBR.

You can read The Daily Telegraph article HERE

This has been the culmination of a strong effort from the PSA to have the Department listen to members’ concerns. The PSA has been tirelessly advocating for members to have the many technical problems of LMBR addressed.

It was an important win for PSA members to have the Department agree not to roll out LMBR any further and instead focus their resources on resolving the problems in the existing 229 schools. The other positive outcome for members was the establishment of a dedicated SALM help desk.

But the real story of LMBR that came through loud and clear from PSA members is the enormous workload that LMBR had generated for SAS Staff, in particular SAMs and SAOs who worked directly with the system.

While members acknowledged the gains in postponing readiness and deployment beyond the 229 schools and the increased effort fixing technical issues members want their increased workloads recognised and the Department to be held to account for this.

In a survey of PSA members in 229 schools over 80% of respondents were putting in 3 hours a week or more in unpaid overtime. This is a shocking increase in work and members should be angry about this and the Department held to account.

Since March 2015, the PSA has entered into a back and forth series of communication with the Department to get your workload issue squarely on the table. At every turn the Department appears to have deliberately attempted to avoid addressing the issue.

In their latest letter to the PSA, the Department claims that the workload issues were addressed through their LMBR Action Plan.

This is in stark contrast to what you, our members are telling us.

With renewed focus in the media now is the time to put LMBR workloads back in the spotlight.

We have written one final time to the Department and we will meet to discuss the issue again on 24 August 2015.

At this meeting, the PSA hopes to see some real progress on the issue.

If this does not occur then we will come to you, the members and ask that you take steps to support the PSA’s workload claims.

Our claims are:

• recognition of the hours worked by being paid for it.
• greater amount of LMBR funding specifically tied to SAS Staffing.
• “more on the ground support” and real relief from workload issues created by LMBR.

The form of this relief should be:

• additional tied funding for overtime payment or TOIL, the choice should be the staff member’s; or
• additional tied funding for the option of additional SAS staff.

The individual SAS Staff members should have the choice of which of the above options to take.

Throughout our engagement with members in the 229 schools we learnt that members are prepared to take action and over 85% of survey respondents support the PSA’s claim to have unpaid work recognised.

If, at the meeting on 24 August, the Department still refuse to recognise and begin addressing the workload concerns it will be time to take action.

If you have a workload story to share, or you are interested in helping the PSA with this claim please email