Dispute meeting over extensions to temporary contracts – July 2018 (PDF version)
Further to our previous bulletin HERE in relation to the failure of TAFE NSW to provide adequate consultation with staff on fixed-term contracts in relation to their employment, your union lodged a dispute with TAFE NSW and we met with management yesterday to progress the matter.
At that meeting, besides the CPSU Industrial Officer and Organiser, were delegate Patrick Kiss and two affected members, all of whom spoke eloquently and articulated their concerns about how this matter had been handled.
While TAFE NSW acknowledged the three-week extension to contracts had been both ambitious and optimistic, and while their representative apologised on TAFE’s behalf to members, we are disturbed that local managers had to be told that they needed to consult with staff.
TAFE NSW has extended the contracts until 17 August and your union has insisted management keep staff informed on a regular basis, even if only to say that there is nothing yet to report. We have also insisted that, should contracts not be renewed, notice periods must either be served by employees or paid out by TAFE. This means TAFE NSW either needs to tell you in the next couple of weeks if your employment is ending, or it needs to pay you out your notice period if it hasn’t told you, or it needs to extend the contract again to allow you to work your notice period.
Your union raised concerns about the number of agency staff still in place and clarified with TAFE NSW that if there is work available it should, where appropriate, be offered to TAFE employees prior to creating a business case to pay an agency to provide staff. We also feel if there is a chance TAFE staff can be upskilled to perform the work, that is also preferable to bringing in agency staff.
We acknowledge a number of agency staff are still required, but where TAFE staff can do the job, the work should go to them. We have asked TAFE NSW to perform an audit of work being undertaken by agency staff in the area with a view to this work being made available to staff on contracts that are expiring.
TAFE NSW has committed to spending the next few weeks working out what positions it still requires. While it does that, the dispute remains in place. We will meet again with TAFE NSW in the coming weeks to discuss progress in this matter and will keep members informed.
It is important you continue to have a say and your voice is heard.
You can support the work of the union and your local delegates by joining the CPSU NSW.
Please forward this to your colleagues so that they know their rights and encourage them to JOIN THE CPSU.
Please note:
CPSU NSW members are also members of the Public Service Association of NSW. The PSA is the Associated Body for, and resources and manages, the CPSU NSW.
