TAFE NSW Institute Managers enterprise bargaining

TAFE NSW Institute Managers enterprise bargaining – November 2015 (PDF version)

The PSA (CPSU) strongly opposes the Manager Enterprise Agreement put forward by TAFE NSW for ballot. This proposal is not good for current or future TAFE managers, not good for students, and not good for TAFE in the long term.

This proposal:

• increased the institute manager (IM) working week from 35 to a required 38 hours per week

• removes the right to request regression

• removes transfer rights

• removes locality/remote area allowance.

TAFE NSW has made it clear this will mean all future TAFE managers would no longer be employed on a permanent basis. Instead, they would be employed on ‘specified-term contracts’, with no security of employment and no appeal rights should the contract not be renewed.

Those employees currently acting in IM positions will be faced with the choice of returning to their substantive position or agreeing to move into insecure, time-limited employment with no guarantee of work beyond the contract date.

Managers on specified term contracts will have no access to redundancy payments should their position be deleted. They can have their contracts terminated at any time, during their contract term, and for any or no reason. TAFE NSW is ‘offering’ to include a 13-week notice period or payment in lieu of notice in the prospective contracts. However this can be removed at any time, so future contracts may not have this included.

Under this proposal, all TAFE managers will need to meet Key Performance Indicators annually. This will impact on TAFE managers in job applications or having their contract renewed.

The ‘grandfather clause’ to protect permanency for current IMs illustrates this proposal is unfair for future TAFE managers and for future employees seeking promotional positions. It can only be enforced as a breach of contract so will be difficult for most employees to assert their rights.

This proposal attacks permanent career progression for all TAFE employees and must be defeated. It also sets dangerous precedents in increasing the weekly hours for TAFE employees, and increasing insecure employment for TAFE employees. This is likely to impact on the negotiations for other Enterprise Agreements including the Administrative Support and Related Employees Agreement.

The PSA (CPSU) members should vote NO to this Enterprise Agreement ballot!

Both the PSA (CPSU) and NSW Teachers Federation are calling for a NO vote for this Agreement.

PSA (CPSU) members are requested to:

• Share this with their colleagues

• Discuss this with your local TAFE managers and institute managers

• Remind anyone who is doing Higher Duties as an institute manager their job security is at risk

• Hold local workplace meetings to discuss the proposed agreement; and please let your union know what the outcomes are of your local meetings at

• Ask colleagues who are teachers (including former teachers working as institute managers) to join the Teachers Federation HERE