News

Multicultural Plan workshops

Multicultural Plan – July 2019 (PDF version)

Recently TAFE NSW approached CPSU NSW to be involved in a series of workshops on its new Multicultural Plan for the organisation.

Firstly, it is pleasing TAFE has facilitated workshops for the various stakeholders. In 2019, TAFE as an organisation is more diverse than perhaps any time in its history. Our hope is that the organisation listens to its staff during the development of the Plan.

Proposed strategies

At the first workshop items that particularly stood out for the union included:

Community and Language Allowance Scheme (CLAS) is fully harnessed to effectively deliver services to speakers of languages other than English

• Our CALD union members present at the workshop are speakers of other languages – the idea of TAFE utilising its skills when interpreters are needed was pushed.

Establish Anti-Racism Contact Officers to assist in the resolution of complaints of racism and to promote anti-racism education

• The union is only too aware that some staff experience racism in the workplace. Often it can be difficult for individuals to come forward and make a formal complaint. We acknowledge that it would be a huge thing for individuals to have a place to go where they feel safe. We pushed during the workshop that this initiative was desperately needed, would benefit staff, and it should be employee-driven, whether it ended up formal or not.

Increase participation and lead the celebration of various cultural community events, including Harmony Day, Chinese New Year, Vietnamese Tet New Year, Ramadan, Diwali, Parramasala, etc

• The union recognises it can be more difficult than it should be for members to get leave approved for days of religious observance or cultural obligations – when others in the workplace do not have these same obligations. The CPSU NSW view that it is disrespectful to staff when managers insists on people justifying themselves and their culture to apply and use their own leave because of religious or cultural reasons.

Following this workshop, we hope TAFE has a greater understanding of the obstacles CALD staff can face with their local managers in getting approval for leave for culturally significant days throughout the year. We pushed for its inclusion in the Plan.

We expect the Plan to be released in within the coming months.

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