TAFE News – Doing Business in the 21st Century -- Update 1 August

Your union, the PSA, has been working hard to ensure that your rights and entitlements are defended throughout the process known as TAFE in the 21st Century.

To ensure that we can protect you interests we have done the following:

• Set up a campaign team of delegates and organisers to ensure that: - the views of union members are heard & the Department meaningfully consults & your rights at work are protected.

• Provided the Department with your feedback and advocated on your behalf to ensure the best outcomes are achieved.

• Tabled a process for the filling of positions to and continued to ensure the Department are kept honest through the process.

The Department has given the PSA a number of commitments including:

• Responding to the issues raised by the PSA on 14 December 2007, 14 May 2008 and 23 June 2008. (These can be found on our web site:http://www.psa.labor.net.au/news/1214454010_3583.html),

• Identifying which new positions will be TAFE positions and which positions will be DET positions, and

• Responding to the PSA document titled Guidelines for filling positions.

Unfortunately the Department has failed meet these commitments.

The PSA yesterday wrote to the Department requesting that:

1. They do not attempt to progress the implementation of the any of the changes identified whilst they have not provided the PSA with a comprehensive response to our outstanding issues, and

2. No new position is to be finalised before a proper process of job analysis and job evaluation in accordance with the Personnel Handbook and the TAFE guidelines for the implementation of CED Job Analysis and Job Evaluation, and

3. The PSA will be involved in the review evaluation of all new Statements of Duty and Position Descriptions and in the review and re-evaluation of existing Statements of Duty and Position Descriptions, and

4. More time is provided to the union and members to properly assess the draft documentation provided. This timeframe can only be determined once the Department has provided the necessary information to the union.

For more information or to provide feedback please email tafe@psa.asn.au or call 92200976.