Customs: Workforce Adjustment Strategy / Important update
27 July 2010, 11:15am
CPSU met with Customs on Monday 26 July to discuss members' concerns about the Workforce Adjustment Strategy announced last week.
Union action delivers security At the meeting the CPSU sought and won a guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies and no compulsoryredeployments.
So what is happening? Customs now say there will only be 150 voluntary redeployments - and perhaps some voluntary redundancies - in targeted areas including NSW, QLD and WA.
Redeployment rights Your CPSU reps argued that all redeployment processes must be fair, effective and transparent and that redeployed staff should:
be fully supported and have access to any necessary training
be redeployed into positions to undertake meaningful tasks
have ongoing job security in their new role
Outstanding issues
Customs is not intending to call for a general round of redundancies and will limit redundancies to CL2 positions in particular work areas. CPSU understands that CL2 staff members in CI&SC in Sydney have been advised that their positions will be reduced to a lower classification.
The lack of proper consultation on this issue is unacceptable. We have sought clarification and Customs have agreed to respond urgently.
What happens next?
Customs has provided initial information to CPSU and we will continue to monitor the process to ensure that:
any redundancy process is fair and transparent
remaining staff are not faced with increased workloads
CPSU members have the chance to raise their issues and concerns, and
no CPSU member is forced to accept a redundancy package
CPSU is committed to ensuring a fair workplace that provides realistic staffing levels to support the work requirement.
Join CPSU today: The CPSU exists to help employees protect their rights at work. You can join here: https://web.cpsu.org.au/join
Comments(3)
Posted by:michael - 26 Aug 2010, 12:32pm Actually Robert you are wrong on three grounds:
1 The union movement is growing in Australia - just go and see the latets ABS stats.
2 Our union is growing - including in Customs where more than 75% of uniformed staff have chosen to be CPSU members, and
3 Of course your employer doesn't metion compulsory redudnancies! What they have done in the past is run a really shoddy workforce adjustment process that gave people no real option to avoid a redundancy. What CPSU has done in Customs is a get a written guarantee that there will be no complusory redundancies and a much better redeployment process.
So bluntly you are wrong on all 3 counts.
Posted by:Tony - 28 Jul 2010, 1:05pm The union is so irrelevant that you feel the need to comment HMMMMM?
Posted by:Robert Deal - 27 Jul 2010, 3:02pm The name of the organisation is the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, not 'Customs'.
In addiiton, I have read the material provided by Customs and Border Protection and at no stage were involuntary redundancies mentioned.
The department has been up front with all impacted staff members on this issue and no staff should be surprised about it. This article is just another example of the CPSU grandstanding in an attempt to sign up more members as you see numbers dwindling across the irrelevant union movement.
Actually Robert you are wrong on three grounds: 1 The union movement is growing in Australia - just go and see the latets ABS stats. 2 Our union is growing - including in Customs where more than 75% of uniformed staff have chosen to be CPSU members, and 3 Of course your employer doesn't metion compulsory redudnancies! What they have done in the past is run a really shoddy workforce adjustment process that gave people no real option to avoid a redundancy. What CPSU has done in Customs is a get a written guarantee that there will be no complusory redundancies and a much better redeployment process. So bluntly you are wrong on all 3 counts.
The union is so irrelevant that you feel the need to comment HMMMMM?
The name of the organisation is the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, not 'Customs'. In addiiton, I have read the material provided by Customs and Border Protection and at no stage were involuntary redundancies mentioned. The department has been up front with all impacted staff members on this issue and no staff should be surprised about it. This article is just another example of the CPSU grandstanding in an attempt to sign up more members as you see numbers dwindling across the irrelevant union movement.