Your guide to DHS’s latest draft agreement*
The CPSU is encouraging everyone to Vote No to DHS’ sub standard agreement.
*This is a summary of the agreement that DHS is proposing to put to an all staff vote in August 2015.
For a more extensive analysis of this document please refer to the full summary at www.cpsu.org.au/news/dhsnegotiation-status
Agreement Stripped
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Entitlements have been shifted into policy or cut completely
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Policy can be changed at any time without agreement
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Policy is not legally enforceable
Job Security
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Weakened redeployment options
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Removal of the restrictions on the use of casual or non-ongoing employment which will limit our ability to
enforce ongoing employment as the usual basis of employment
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Reduced job security
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No protections for regional jobs
Consultation Cut
• No Consultation prior to DHS making a decision about major change
• CPSU representatives removed from National Consultation Committee
• Zone Consultation Committees abolished
• Removes obligation to consult about implementation of government’s decisions
Working Hours
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Service delivery hours to be determined by Secretary without consultation
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DHS will be able to determine your ordinary pattern of hours
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No guaranteed PDO
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Non-Rostered staff: can seek to reach agreement on hours but if you can’t reach agreement supervisor
can direct start and finish times
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Reduced employer notice required for changing your hours
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The department can change your working hours where they believe your attendance is not satisfactory.
Rostering
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Requirement to genuinely negotiate rosters removed
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Rostered staff can be directed to work any time from 7am - 7pm and you’d have no say.
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Start up and wind down time cut to 10 minutes per day
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Roster changes or swaps removed
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Guaranteed L&D time removed
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Breaks, including your 5 minute screen break, removed
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Notice and consultation required for a change to your roster removed
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Shift swaps now managed by supervisor not individual staff
Flex Time
• Flex time would need to be approved prior to being accrued
• Flex debit reduced from 22.5 hours to 16 hours
Your right to representation
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Your right to be represented by a union delegate removed and delegate’s ability to assist members is
removed from agreement
Performance management & Call monitoring
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‘Back on Track’ cut from 12 to 8 weeks
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‘Formal Counselling’ cut from 12 to 4 weeks
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Less focus on working with an employee to fix performance issues in favour of more focus on terminating
employment
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Call monitoring protections removed
Authorised by Lisa Newman, CPSU National Deputy President.
Overtime
• right to refuse overtime due to caring or personal reasons removed
Leave and RAP
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Circumstances where a statutory declaration may be used as evidence for personal leave have been
reduced
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Upfront allocation of personal/carers leave for new employees removed
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Miscellaneous leave reduced
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Two weeks paid supplementary supporting parental leave removed
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Increased power for DHS to direct staff to take leave to reduce flex leave accural
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Access to RAP only guaranteed for non-external customer service staff
Pay, Superannuation, Salary Advancement and Broadband
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DHS is offering 1.5% on approval of the agreement, 1.5% 12 months later in 2016 and 1.5% 12 months
later in 2017. The agreement would run for three years
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Salary advancement cut from 2.75% to 1.5%. It would take approximately 10-12 years to get to the top of
the band
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15.4% superannuation is now guaranteed, including choice of fund except where fund does not accept
employer contributions
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Broadbanding has been removed from the agreement and broadband may be abolished (even if you are
currently being assesed) or established at the discretion of the Secretary
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Advancement through the broadband would only occur biannually for eligible staff
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Broadband changes also introduce competition on merit into the broadbanding process where there are
two or more employees who have successfully applied but insufficient work for all
Allowances
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The following allowances will be frozen at 2013 rates: Community Language and Field Work allowances.
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Access to the higher duties payment reduced from 1 day or part thereof to after 5 consecutive days acting
at the higher level
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The following allowances have been removed: School Holiday care allowance and Office Disturbance.
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Overtime meal allowance only eligible after 10 or more hours of work. This includes Saturday and Sunday
overtime where staff may work an 8 hour shift
Part-time Workers
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Right to access part-time arrangements until child’s third birthday removed
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DHS could initiate part-time work arrangements for operational reasons.
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Requirement for DHS to provide a written explanation for a refusal to access part-time work removed
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DHS not required to take your needs and preferences into account when considering part-time hours
applications
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Job sharing removed
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Part-time staff will need to work full time hours (150 hours) in a settlement period before accessing
overtime payments or be directed to work overtime
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No requirement for DHS to consider your individual needs against the business needs when determining
part-time work
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The length of PTW Agreements is either 6 or 12 months as decided by the department
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If you have not negotiated a new PTW agreement at the expiry date of your current agreement you will
automatically revert to full-time
Casuals conditions cut
• DHS have exluded casual employees from large parts of their proposed agreement, including salary
advancement . This means casuals will be worse off financially and it will be cheaper for DHS to employ
people on insecure contracts.
• DHS propose to remove the casual loading (20%) for casuals working on weekends, public holidays or
outside the span of hours, but they will still receive overtime for these periods
Office Relocation Payment
• Remove the relocation payment within the same city where you incur higher costs from the decision
CPSU is recommending DHS staff vote no for a better agreement
Join today at www.cpsu.org.au
Authorised by Lisa Newman, CPSU National Deputy President.