Parliament – consultation & negotiation process to address budget cuts

The negotiation and consultation process the PSA has followed involves:

1. Receiving proposals from management. The proposal must include detail of which services are to be reduced, how the work is to be done by the remaining staff, organisational charts both current and proposed, which identify the number of positions, and all vacancies and long term absents.
2. Working through the proposals with affected PSA members.
3. Raising the feedback including concerns and requests of PSA members with management.
4. Reporting back to PSA membership once Management's response is received.
5. Raising further concerns and issues with Management.
6. This negotiation process also includes meetings with individual members who are most directly affected. For example in danger of displacement, or in danger of unreasonable workloads.
7. This process continues until PSA members are satisfied that the proposal will not lead to unreasonable workload implications.
8. When the PSA members feel that feedback has been properly incorporated, there is a vote for or against the plan. Obviously this routine allows PSA members to advise whether they think the plan is ready for voting or not.
9. This process is designed to allow all members in the relevant areas a real opportunity to contribute. To date no staff have been displaced as a result of negotiations. In addition, a guarantee has been negotiated that vacant positions will be offered to potentially displaced staff, and/or advertised internally in the first instance to protect the job security of our members.

The offering of voluntary redundancies Staff across the parliament were asked to express their interest in Voluntary Redundancy (VR). This did not oblige the parliament to make offers to all who expressed interest, and it did not oblige those who expressed an interest to take the VR if offered.

Management will offer a VR to staff who have expressed an interest in one, where the work of the position is no longer required, or where a reorganisation provides for the work of that position to be redistributed to other staff, without leading to work overloads for other members. This can only occur when members in the affected area have participated in the consultation and negotiation process and have voted to accept a proposal.

Where positions are identified for deletion and the position occupants do not wish to take a VR, then a process occurs where those staff are able to 'swap' positions with another staff member who does want to take a VR and whose position is matched in skill and qualifications.

The PSA is not involved in negotiating offers of voluntary redundancy.

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