TAFE WINS – GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES – February 2019 (PDF version)
Your union, the CPSU NSW, recently lodged three disputes with TAFE management in relation to matters of great concern to members.
Dispute 1 related to the lack of backfilling of five positions vacated through natural attrition at both Blue Mountains and Nepean Libraries – a further issue was identified at Bankstown Library just prior to the dispute meeting. In the view of your union, this was an attempt at managing change by stealth as well as a workload issue. Despite promises to have two positions backfilled in time for the busy period in February, TAFE had not moved on this matter.
Dispute 2 involved a campaign your union ran in 2018 to identify members who had been in long-term temporary positions and met the criteria in Clause 17 of your Enterprise Agreement. Clause 17 relates to conversion of long-term temporary positions to permanent. As a result of this campaign six members were identified and your union requested that they be made permanent.
Dispute 3 involved a campaign your union ran in 2018 to identify members employed as casuals whose work was regular and systematic and therefore did not meet the definition of casual employee in your Enterprise Agreement. As a result of this campaign seven members were identified and your union informed TAFE NSW that they had been employed in an incorrect employment category and this should be addressed.
As a result of these disputes, the following has happened:
Six Library positions will be backfilled in the short term and we continue to negotiate with TAFE NSW in relation to two of those positions being made permanent.
Five out of the six members who are long-term temps are being made permanent and we are negotiating for the sixth also to be converted to a permanent position. Their time as temps will be recognised as prior service and they will be deemed to have been merit selected.
All seven of the members who were employed as casuals but worked regular hours for years are being offered 15-month temporary contracts until June 2020. Their years as casuals will be recognised for prior service purposes and they will be deemed to have been merit selected. This will allow them to access leave entitlements and to apply for permanent positions in the Groups 5 and 6 restructures.
THIS IS THE POWER OF THE UNION WHEN OUR MEMBERS STAND UNITED WITH US
Please share this message with your colleagues and encourage them to come forward so that the union can negotiate with TAFE NSW on their behalf.
It is important that 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
