Welcome Back - Feb 2021 (PDF version)

Happy New year and welcome back to work for 2021.

We hope you all had a safe and restful break and, after last year, enjoyed an extra special and well-deserved holiday period.

Your PSA Organisers are back on the road visiting schools to say hello and to organise meetings. Our specialist schools organisers can update you on a range of matters. If you would like a meeting at your school this can occur face to face, adhering to strict social distancing measures.

New year, new staff, new members – join the PSA today

If you know someone who is not a member, or have any new starters at your school, you can assist the work of the PSA and delegates to get better outcomes for everyone just by asking your colleagues to JOIN.

To organise a PSA meeting in your school contact your organiser or the Member Support Centre on 1300 772 679.

Your organisers are:

Metro/Central Coast/Shoalhaven

• Ann Attwater
• Marisa Bosco
• Susan Chee Quee
• Surabi Alauddin

Regional

• Paul James, Gino Di Candilo and Ian Braithwaite (Newcastle/Hunter)
• Rebecca Riley and Asren Pugh (North Coast)
• Bart Mackenzie and Shane Elliot (South Coast)
• Steve Mears (North West)
• Belinda Pearce (Central West)
• Suzy Evans (South West)

Worth 100% Campaign – paid, protected, permanent

2020 was another huge year for the PSA, some of the wins we achieved working with members and delegates were:

• Supporting members through fires, floods, drought and a once in 100-year pandemic to ensure they were safe and protected at work
• Negotiating paid pandemic leave of up to 20 days
• Campaigned for extension of temp contracts during term 2 to keep people in work after Covid 19 hit
• Extending the 2012 Determination until January 26 2021 resulting in many members successfully gaining conversion to permanency
• Growing our membership across every classification throughout the year.

Some of the issues we will be working on this year are:

• Continuing to support members to log every incident and fighting for a safer workplace
• Workload and work intensification issues
• Continuing to push for permanency for Long Term Temporary employees
• Advocating for a return to face to face training for classifications that need it
• Ensuring a fair transition process for SLSO Student Health Support
• Continuing work on Chemical Safety in Schools.

If your contract is not renewed

You may be entitled to a severance payment if you have been continuously employed for more than a year

If your contract is not renewed, please contact the PSA’s Member Support Centre immediately so that we can commence negotiations with the Department on your behalf. The Department considers applications for severance pay on a case by case basis and it is important that each application is lodged quickly after the conclusion of your contract.

Under the Employment Protection Regulation 2017, there is a scale of payments which may apply. This is addition to receiving payment for outstanding recreation and long service leave.

If you are a member with an individual issue you can contact the PSA on 1300 772 679 for advice and support.