On 18 August your General Assistants Advisory Group (GAAG) delegates met to talk about the following issues and work through possible solutions with PSA Industrial Staff.

Rostered days off (RDOs)

The GAAG Delegates remind members of their entitlements surrounding Rostered Days Off (RDOs) as covered by the Crown Employees (General Assistants in Schools – Department of Education) Award.

Full time General Assistants (GAs) work eight hours per day for 19 days each 20-day work cycle (clause 6.1). On each day, 24 minutes is saved towards the RDO (clause 6.2). Day 20 is the RDO (See 6.1) unless by mutual agreement with the school, another day is taken during the 20-day work cycle (clause 6.4).

Agreement to bank the RDOs to take in a block during the next school vacation period (clause 6.4). Banking RDOs is at the discretion of the school.

Part-time GAs work 7 hours 36 minutes each day and are not entitled to RDOs.

GA Toolkit

After many years of planning the GAAG is happy to announce a new GA Toolkit booklet. Given the changes in many of the employment instruments applying to GAs (for example, the introduction of the Government Sector Employment Act and the subsequent GA Role Description) the production of the GA Toolkit is an exciting new reference for GA members.

The toolkit is a useful resource which summarises major entitlements and conditions for GAs working in NSW schools.

This booklet in hard copy will be distributed to GA PSA members in the coming weeks. The GAAG Delegates would like to remind everyone that union fees have funded the GA Toolkit. For this reason, the GAs Toolkit is for members only.

If you know someone who is not a member and would like a copy of the GA Toolkit, please invite them to join the PSA.

Professional and Ethical Standards Directorate (PES, formerly known as EPAC)

The GAAG was alerted about an increase in GA members going into PES meetings without first seeking advice from the PSA.

GA members are reminded that the best thing to do is to ask for help from the union very early in the process as it will make for a smoother process in the long term.

The PSA can offer support in many ways with advice on what the next steps are and support from the GA Organiser Latu Sailosi when meetings take place.

Pay increase

On Friday, 22 July 2022, the PSA was in arbitration before a full bench of the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) after the Government denied our wages claim, instead passing a new regulation temporarily changing its wages policy over the next two years to award Public Sector employees a three per cent pay rise.

After the two years it will revert to the paltry 2.5 per cent that we have been dealing with since 2011.

The IRC, restrained by the Government’s unfair and unjust wages policy, awarded the state’s Public Sector workers, including General Assistants, a three per cent pay increase, which includes an increase to the superannuation levy, for one year from the first full pay period after 1 July 2022.

You can read more about the court case, and PSA campaign to fight for better pay rises for you, HERE.

School holiday check list

As the school holidays are once again approach at lightning speed, GA members should remember the following check list.

1. GAs have no supervisory role and are not required to supervise contractors during school holidays.
2. Make sure that your school has undertaken a working-alone risk assessments in consultation with you if you are working over the school holidays.
3. The working-alone risk assessment should be regularly reviewed and should include any COVID-19 restrictions that may be in place at your school.
4. If your school is participating in the Come Share Our Space program during the school holidays, GAs:
   1. Do not provide security services including opening and closing of gates. GAs are not required to open and close toilets during school holidays.

      The DoE engages security staff to perform these functions for schools participating in the Come Share Our Space program.

   2. If you see vandalism or other anti-social behaviour occurring on school grounds, you should immediately call 000 and ask for Police assistance. Do not intervene if you are alone and at risk of assault.
   3. If there is a medical emergency during the school holidays, if you have first-aid qualifications and are being paid the first-aid allowance, you should render assistance.

      If you do not have first-aid training, you should do what you can to ensure the person is safe from further harm and then immediately call 000 and ask for Ambulance assistance.

5. Stay safe – make sure you have the contact name and phone number of the person (usually your Principal) who you are going to ring or text each day you arrive and leave the school.

Your GAAG contacts

GAAG Delegate	School	Email address
Wayne Gaw	Armidale Secondary College High School
Stephen Smith Assistant Secretary	Cobar High School
Bill Martin	Vincentia High School
Sam Sale	Wadalba Community School
Hayden Berry	Spring Farm Public School
Alison Crittenden Chairperson	Sutherland North Public School
Michael Burrell – Secretary	Blacktown Boys High School
Philip Crowe	Freshwater Senior – Northern Beaches Sec. College
Jason Pickering	Toormina High School
PSA Industrial Staff
Anthony Wright	GA Industrial Officer
Latu Sailosi	GA Organiser