We are contacting all members to bring you up to date with the information the AEU has regarding the Government’s wage freeze and budget savings that all Agencies (including TasTAFE) must make.
At the time of writing the legislation (Crown Employees (Salaries) Bill 2014) is being debated in the Lower House. Should it proceed to the Legislative Council (Upper House) and be passed it will mean salaries and increments will be frozen for at least 1 year and, following the pause, salary increases will be limited to 2% per annum with no end date.
The Government in its budget has set savings targets for all Agencies. For 2014 / 2015 TasTAFE must make savings of $2.25 million and for 2015 /2016 $4.5 million. In a briefing with unions by Stephen Conway (TasTAFE CEO), it was indicated that the $2.25 million to be saved this financial year would be offset by the expected wage freeze savings ($1.6 million) and the remaining $0.6 million may well be saved by a reduction of the amount TasTAFE pays the Department of Education for HR and IT services.
However, TasTAFE is also considering a “
Redesigning of TasTAFE” which will in fact mean looking at TasTAFE teams and developing them (quote from recent management forum)
“The TasTAFE organisational structure will be based around a core of educational teams. These teams will be similar in terms of span of control and scope of delivery”
The downsizing of TasTAFE could see 30 / 40 positions being no longer required. It’s expected that losses would be across the board with both management and teacher positions under threat. It was made clear by the CEO that consultation between TasTAFE, key stakeholders, unions and staff will take place. The AEU urges all staff to attend the consultation meetings and to have your say. If you are reluctant to speak up do so through your Union Rep.
TasTAFE will attempt to meet its targets by using the Government’s Vacancy Control measures (finding those affected a position in another Agency) or the Workforce Renewal Incentive Program (WRIPS). It is likely the WRIPS will be enhanced from $20 to $30 / $40 thousand depending on years of service. It should be noted that WRIPS are not a redundancy they are just an incentive payment that some close to retirement may see as beneficial. However, at the time of writing, TasTAFE have made it quite clear that it does not have the money available for redundancies.
TasTAFE’s stance seems to be at odds with information now available on the Government website here
http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/ssmo/Managing_Positions_in_the_State_Service/redeployment
And see below a media release from Unions Tasmania on this topic.
GOVERNMENT BREAKS PROMISE OF NO FORCED REDUNDANCIES
8th September 2014
Documents posted on a government website have revealed the Hodgman Government will use forced redundancies as part of its plan to cut over 1,000 jobs across public services.
Despite repeated promises before, during and after the March election that cuts would be make without resorting to forced redundancies it is now clear that forced redundancies will be used.
The documents indicate that where an employee whose duties have been made redundant has not been assigned replacement duties within 6 months their Head of Agency has been delegated the power to make them forcibly redundant.
“The decision to abandon its commitment to no forced redundancies is yet another broken promise from Will Hodgman,” Unions Tasmania President Roz Madsen said.
“It will cause widespread fear and uncertainty across a workforce already feeling high levels of stress from work overload and restructuring.
On the weekend the Mental Health Council of Tasmania raised concerns about the impact of public sector job losses on the mental health of workers and warned about an increased risk of suicide.
“The government is clearly aware of the impact this broken promise will have on the health of its workforce with Agencies boosting their employee assistance programs and reports that some Agencies have engaged mental health professionals to advise them on the implementation of cuts,” Community and Public Sector Union Secretary Tom Lynch said.
“Public sector workers will also feel disrespected by the Government’s failure to talk to them or their unions about this plan but instead sneak it up on their website without announcement.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s Kim Ford said the announcement was yet another blow to morale in an already deflated public service that is stretched to the limit delivering vital services Tasmanians rely on.
“Nurses and Midwives are still facing the fallout from the 2011 Budget Cuts. The double shifts and overtime as a result of staff cuts in 2011 is exacerbating the often increased workloads and exhaustion of nurses and midwives. This broken promise will make nurses and midwives rethink about staying in the health care system.
It is understood by the AEU that TasTAFE will be conducting forums for all staff from the 11
th September to 18
th September. The AEU urge all members to attend and ask questions. The AEU advises that these are forums and not part of the consultation process. TasTAFE has indicated that consultation could commence in the next 2 / 3 weeks. This when the AEU and other unions will see the initial plans for how TasTAFE intends to
“Redesign TasTAFE ( Downsize)”
The AEU undertakes to keep members informed and consult with members to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for AEU members.
