CPSU has written to DHS today and last week seeking information on offers of redeployment and redundancy being made throughout the department.
CPSU's Deputy National President Lisa Newman’s letters to Kathryn Campbell are below. You can find more
information about redundancy and redeployment here.
Request for notification and consultation relating to certain dismissals - sent 30 May 2012
Dear Kathryn,
I refer to my email of 24 May 2012 concerning the Department’s failure to
consult with the CPSU in accordance with s531 of the Fair Work Act 2009 in
regard to DHS approaching employees about the potential for redeployment and/or
dismissal via voluntary redundancy.
I note that your Deputy Secretary Barbara Bennett provided an email response
late yesterday afternoon (29 May 2012). The CPSU does not believe that the
response provided by Ms Bennett satisfies our request. Therefore the CPSU
continues to seeks a response from DHS consistent with my previous request.
The CPSU on behalf of DHS employees notifies you of a dispute in accordance
with Clause A8 of the Department of Human Service Agreement 2011 – 2014 (the
Agreement). The dispute is over matters under the Agreement including Clause A7
and the Redundancy and Redeployment arrangements (Part J of the Agreement).
Given the feedback received from DHS employees that indicates a large number
of redeployment and/or redundancy offers are being made to employees with very
short timeframes for the employee to respond to the Department, the CPSU also
invokes clause A8.4 of the EA. Consequently we request an urgent meeting no
later than Friday 1 June 2012 to discuss the dispute and seek to resolve it. In
the interim we request that you confirm in writing that DHS will take no further
action in relation to offers of redeployment and/or redundancy.
Failure to respond to this request for a meeting and to suspend offers of
redeployment and/or redundancy by 3pm Thursday 31 May 2012 will leave the CPSU
at liberty to seek the assistance of Fair Work Australia.
Request for notification and consultation relating to certain dismissals - sent 24 May 2012
Dear Ms Campbell,
The CPSU has been made aware that staff within the Department have been
approached about the potential for redeployment and/or voluntary redundancy.
Based on this information, the CPSU has formed the view that the Department
has made a decision to shed staff and identified where staff are likely to
be affected. These offers are being made across programs and Zones and
number more than 15 employees.
Consistent with s531 of the Fair Work Act, the CPSU requests the
following information by close of business Tuesday 29 May 2012.
The proposed dismissals and the reasons for them
The number and categories of employees likely to be affected
The time when, or the period over which, the employer intends to
carry out the dismissal, and
Before dismissing any employees.
The CPSU understands the Department may seek to redeploy staff within the
Department or the APS through the appropriate placement services. The CPSU
considers that use of these services indicates that an employee has been
identified as excess and therefore the same above advice should be provided
to the CPSU
