DADHC INDUSTRIAL ACTION POSTPONED

THE TWO DAY STRIKE ACTION OF DISABILITY SERVICES SCHEDULED FOR 16 AND 17 NOVEMBER HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR TWO WEEKS!

The DADHC Disability Services Departmental Committee Executive has postponed the strike.

The Executive has made this decision as a result of recent breakthroughs in negotiations with the Department. The postponement allows the PSA and the Department to proceed with these negotiations.

The proposals received from the Department include:

• A review of the Corporate and Regional Restructure, commencing March 2005. The PSA will be consulted on the terms of reference for this review and will be consulted during the review process. In the interim the Department will review aspects of the restructure ie: CST Team Leader role and support needs of Network Managers.

• A proposal in relation to Level 3 RSW positions which reintroduces the previous agreed criteria for determining where units require more than 1 RSW 3 position.

• A commitment by the Department to ensure all industrial agreements and associated policies are consistently applied across the Regions.

• A review of the distribution and allocation of resources within the CSTs to ensure client needs are being met and workload management issues are being addressed. The management of current vacancies being a priority.

All the proposals including those above require negotiation between the parties to determine how they will apply in practice. If these negotiations do not lead to a resolution of the issues, the planned strike action will take place on 30 November and 1 December.

The decision to postpone the strike was not taken lightly and came after considerable deliberation on the issue. The Departmental Committee has been and remains committed to achieving the best outcomes for members and has been mindful of the hardship the loss of two days pay may cause members.

Additionally, the Department has lodged a dispute application in the Industrial Relations Commission and the Association was directed by the Commission on 29 October to lift the threat of industrial action and allow the negotiations to proceed. This direction was also taken into consideration by the DC Executive.

Members are urged to check the Association's website for regular updates or contact their local delegate, PSA Regional Office or PSA Head Office.

Tony Perry, Chairperson, DADHC Departmental Committee
Chris Harris, Secretary, DADHC Departmental Committee