CSIRO Information Management and Technology cuts - bad news all round

Background

On Tuesday CSIRO Information Management and Technology (IM&T) management started a national tour of sites delivering the bad news to staff that there will be a significant number of redundancies and that nearly all of IM&T will have to participate in a “spill and fill” process to try and keep their jobs in a proposed “secret” new IM&T organisational structure. Management is refusing to unveil their proposed new structure until their national tour is complete (27 May). They then propose a five day period for staff to consider the new structure. Your union is demanding that the proposed new structure be released immediately for consideration and that the consideration period be extended.

What is the reason for these redundancies?

The stated reason for the redundancies is that the IM&T budget has been frozen in an environment where costs have increased by around $9m (including an increase of $3m for Microsoft licensing) however the Staff Association has been aware for some time (prior to the federal budget) of rumours that a major restructure and redundancies in IM&T were on the cards.

How many redundancies will there be?

IM&T management will not give a figure and have stated that the number will be dependent upon how many savings can be made from other areas and the classification mix in the proposed new structure. Management is seeking staff input on savings ideas. What the Staff Association believes however from other sources is that the staff cuts are going to be in the order of 40 to 50 or around 15% of IM&T.

What does this mean for IM&T service standards for all CSIRO staff?

At the moment this is unclear but it is obviously going to be impossible for IM&T to provide the same level of service with significantly reduced staff numbers. This is an issue for all CSIRO staff. This will clearly have an impact upon the provision of support to all CSIRO divisions and flagships.

Do we know anything about the proposed new IM&T structure?

The only information we have been able to glean about the new structure from management presentations is that it appears to be a “declassified” structure. That is there are significantly fewer positions at the CSOF 4 and 5 levels and more at the CSOF2. This raises serious questions about how some IM&T work can suddenly be classified at a lower level and what will this mean for career structures in IM&T?

What about the future for CSIRO Libraries?

In a word the future looks bleak. IM&T management has announced they are to be “rationalised”, that there will be some library closures, but that they don’t yet know where! Your union doesn’t believe there is much “rational” about this decision at all and is seeking more information. Library staff have already been through the despised “spill and fill” process and some have already been made redundant. Libraries appear to be suffering “death by a thousand cuts”.

What can I do?

The Staff Association will be holding meetings of members in IM&T shortly and will be convening a phone hook-up of all IM&T Workplace Delegates once the proposed structure is released to consider our response. If you are not in IM&T but want to send a message of support to your colleagues please email csstaff@cpsu.org.au and we will circulate these messages to IM&T members.

What If I’m not a Staff Association member?

Then its time to join! Fill out a membership form and hand it to your local workplace delegate, fax to 03 8620 6347 or scan and email to csstaff@cpsu.org.au