Guidelines to Assist in the Signing of the Dignity and Respect Charter

The Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter was co-signed by the Premier's Department Director-General, Col Gellatly and PSA Assistant General Secretary Steve Turner on 8 September, 2004

The PSA wants to ensure that all public sector agencies adhere to the Charter. One way of doing this is by Women's Councillors and delegates seeking that their Department sign the Charter locally.

At the November 2004 meeting of Women's Council a motion was carried unanimously recommending that delegates raise the signing of the Charter locally.

Steps

1. Take the Charter to your next Departmental Committee meeting seeking that the Departmental Committee endorses the Charter, and that the Departmental Committee supports the signing of the Charter locally.

2. Advise Departmental Committee delegates that the PSA has anti-bullying kits and a CD Rom for delegates to provide them with more information on the PSA's anti-bullying campaign.

3. Once the Departmental Committee has endorsed the Charter, the PSA's Industrial Officer and delegates to the Joint Consultative Committee are to raise the signing of the Charter at the next Joint Consultative Committee meeting.

4. Delegates to the JCC and the PSA Industrial Officer will report back at the next Departmental Committee as to whether the Department agreed to sign the Charter or not.

5. If the Department agrees to sign the Charter it should be signed by the Director-General (or equivalent) and at least by the PSA Industrial Officer. In some instances the local Departmental Committee Secretary and Chair may also wish to sign the Charter. It may also be appropriate for someone from the PSA Executive to also sign the Charter.

6. Once the Charter is signed the Departmental Committee should notify their members that the Charter has been signed and what this means. This can be done, either through e-mail, newsletters and/or meetings of members.

7. The Departmental Committee delegates and the PSA Industrial Officer are to continue to monitor the level of bullying and harassment in the Department.

What to do if the Agency won't sign the Charter

1. If the Department says it already has a policy on bullying and harassment in the workplace ask for a copy. Take the policy back to your Departmental Committee and PSA Industrial Officer to make sure that the policy complies with the minimum standards of the Charter.

2. If the policy does NOT comply with the minimum standards of the Charter take the Charter back to the next JCC insisting that it be signed. Remind the Department that the Charter has already been signed by the Director-General of the Premier's Department.

3. If the Department does not have a policy or has an inadequate policy, the PSA Industrial Officer and the Departmental Committee delegates will need to increase pressure on the Department to sign it. This can include:

4. The PSA Industrial Officer formally writing to the Department/Minister/Premiers Department (which ever is the most appropriate).

5. Letting members know that the Department won't sign the Charter at your next Workplace Group meeting, by e-mail and/or newsletter.

6. Get members involved in the "Sign the Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Campaign". For example, develop a petition, ask members to sign it and present the petition at the next JCC (Note: There are many actions you can do. There maybe more suitable actions for your workplace)

7. Put the Departments name on the PSA's "This is a Bullying Department" shame file.

General

While you should not anticipate too much trouble in getting the Department to agree to sign the Charter it is useful to be prepared.

Successes/problems in getting the Charter signed should be fed back to the PSA through your organiser, industrial officer or women's councillor