Donate Now: Union aid to Haiti earthquake appeal
On Tuesday 12th January, the small Caribbean nation of Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake. The capital of Port-au-Prince, a city of 3 million people, lies in ruins.
Read more about how you can help through the ACTU and Union Aid Abroad here.
Not so happy anniversary
One year ago in the run up to the PSA elections the General Secretary, John Cahill, signed our current pay award and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that went with it. According to the PSA leadership the unfunded portion was to be made up from a set of “Central Reforms” to our working conditions.
Clause 6 of the MOU allows Departments and Agencies to claim further cuts to conditions if the Central Reforms agreed to last year do not make up the 1.5% unfunded pay rise.
These were the tradeoffs so strenuously denied by the PSA leadership who were seeking re-election at the time. In contravention of PSA Rules this pay deal was never put to members. Read more about the pay deal one year on and what it means to you here.
Budget to drive more PS savings
The NSW Government aims to drive further savings via a "Better Services and Value Plan" which, together with a "Better Services and Value Taskforce", will "critically examine government agency spending line-by-line" and "rationalise whole of government spending in areas such as IT and legal services". The Government will continue with its annual 1% efficiency dividend. This will ramp up to 1.5% in two years time and is additional to the 1.5% claw back of our pay deal via departmental savings implementation plans (SIPs). This follows the former Premier's announced merger of 160 government agencies into 13 super-ministries.
13 Super Departments announced
When delegates to Annual Conference asked the General Secretary if he had sought information about the mooted formation of super-agencies (dubbed the state's worst kept secret) he scoffed and said the story was a beat up. Days later the Premier confirmed the formation of 13 Super agencies. The Premier said there'd be no loss of 'front line' jobs but it is clear that workers in corporate services including procurement will be affected.
Wage freeze to save the gov't?
In response to a Herald report that the Treasurer and Premier's chief of staff met union leaders seeking a wage pause, PSA General Secretary John Cahill claimed the report was "erroneous" and denied any agreement had been reached. He didn't clarify which aspects of the article were incorrect nor did he categorically rule out any wage pause. Cahill had failed to disclose these discussions when delivering his report to PSA Annual Conference. Unions NSW subsequently issued a statement ruling out any wage pause as part of the current pay agreement.
What's in your Savings Implementation Plan?
The current pay deal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) requires agencies to find savings to cover the unfunded 1.5% component of the 4% pay increases. Each agency's ability to generate savings from the items agreed to by the PSA varies so each agency has produced a Savings Implementation Plan (SIP) detailing how their annual 1.5% savings will be made. Each agency has provided its SIP to the PSA. What is in yours? How will it affect your members? Read what we had to say at the 2009 Annual Conference.
What are delegates seeking?
At Annual Conference it was resolved that "the Public Service Association of NSW ensures the various Department Committees obtain copies of the Agency Savings Implementation Plans from the 2008 Salaries Award Memorandum of Understanding for the information of delegates."
PSA Incumbents returned - just
Incumbent General Secretary, John Cahill and his team have been returned despite suffering a 30% (2,200 vote) drop in their vote. Cahill managed to get over the line with 53% of the vote while the Progressive's Anne Gardiner fell short with 47%. Despite the significant drop in their vote the Cahill faction will increase their representation on Central Council and the Executive to 100% of the positions. Under the old proportional representation rules the Progressives would have won extra positions on both the Executive and Council. More results here.
Yes conditions WERE traded away for pay
The current PSA General Secretary claims delegates spread 'misinformation' about his pay deal and that there are no trade-offs.
It doesn't matter whether you call them offsets, efficiency savings, 'modernising conditions', or trade-offs, the fact remains that he agreed that everything above 2.5% will be funded by offsets including:
the number of days off in a row without a medical certificate has been reduced from 3 to 2 and 5 per year in total
your employer can apply "greater evidence requirements" of your illness including disclosure of the nature of your illness. No backdating of sick certificates etc.
reductions in the motor vehicle allowance rates
restrictions on taking flex leave if you have more than 8 weeks recreation leave
reducing the circumstances under which you can take appeals to GREAT
restrictions on who is eligible for transferred officer compensation
changes to the accumulation of FACS leave, and more
The deal was never put to a vote of members. PSA Rule 25 reads:
"Any offer received with regard to the salaries payable to or conditions affecting any particular group or class of members shall be referred to those members directly or by reference to a committee authorised to advise on their behalf."
Want more detail on the pay deal changes to conditions?
For more details of the changes to conditions and how the pay deal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) works, check:
Our Memorandum Summary and explanation, or
the full Memorandum of Understanding
Public Sector Workforce Office letter to your employer
The Premier's Circular announcing the pay agreement.
The Premier's Memorandum on Forced Redundancies as accepted by the current PSA General Secretary.
Your agency has already submitted its savings wish-list to the Public Sector Workforce Office for approval. A number of agencies have already told their delegates of the cuts and changes to conditions.
Pay case abandoned as General Secretary accepts employer's wage policy
The decision to abandon our 6.5% claim came as a disappointment to many members and delegates. We get no more than the state wage case (4%) despite having a compelling case for productivity payments in excess of that amount. Unlike the state wage case, everything above 2.5% is clawed back through offsets and 'efficiency reforms'. That is what the PSA General Secretary John Cahill accepted on your behalf without a vote by members. Your agency will only be funded for 2.5%. They must find the extra via savings via initiatives outlined in the pay deal full Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Conflicts of interest need to be avoided
PSA Annual Conference has called on the curent officials to declare and manage their conflicts of interest. They have refused to do so. It is well known that the NSW Government puts union officials on boards of public sector companies allowing them to 'tug the leash' if it is unhappy with a particular union direction. John Cahill has been given a position on Macquarie Generation, Steven Turner has been given Waste Services NSW, and Sue Walsh has been given Lotteries. They pocket the fees, don't provide reports to the governing body of the union, and do not give the fees back to the PSA as is the practice in other unions. They also occupy positions on SGE Credit Union (originally secured through a campaign paid for with PSA money). The officials do not promote loans that are the best value for members - they only promote SGE's loans. You can compare loans with the independent star ratings provided by Cannex.
New Pay Rates Table
Download this rates table to see your pay rates. Each increase is from the first full pay period in July.
WA public servants win minimum of 4.05%
Most West Australian public sector employees will receive 3 Annual increases of 4.92% (those earning between $45,000 and $78,000) as part of a new deal with the WA Government. The minimum anyone will get is 4.05% a year. Employees will also receive enhanced entitlements including 12 months unpaid grandparental leave. The first instalment will be backdated to March this year when the old agreement expired. More info on our Wage Watch page.
Divisive rule changes adopted
February 08 - At the February Central Council, the Rank and File Team/Members First faction voted to adopt a series of controversial rule changes. They hope to strengthen their control of the PSA by removing all other groups from the Governing body of the union.
The manoeuvre has incensed the real rank and file (members and delegates) who were neither consulted nor informed of the proposed changes. Its just a taste of things to come if this group is re-elected. Another significant change will allow the PSA to fund and endorse political parties and candidates. We believe the changes compromise our independence and reduce our bargaining power. The changes do nothing to unify our members nor do they strengthen our union.
In this PSA election members and delegates will have to choose between the incumbent officials or a team that will reform and strengthen the union by pursuing an independent, member-based industrial strategy.
Table of changes including the motion on notice
Current PSA rules
The Progressive PSA brings together rank and file trade union activists in
the Public
Service Association of NSW and the CPSU (SPSF Branch).
We work for:
greater job security
improved and more equitable pay
sustainable jobs in a sustainable environment
a democratic and strong union
This is not an official PSA publication
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