Management wants to weaken your Health and Safety arrangements in Infrastrucure
22 September 2008, 1:02pm
Infrastructure staff have expressed serious concerns to CPSU on management’s proposed health and safety arrangements (HSMAs). It is our view that the proposed arrangements for dispute resolution are weaker than provisions in your collective agreement and the OHS Act.
With your support, your union will push to improve these arrangements to
include a fair and independent way to resolve disputes. Please email your
support to help get good OHS arrangements for Infrastructure.
What are the changes?
No independent umpire. Disputes would be resolved internally through the
OHS Committee Chairperson (appointed by the Department).
No guaranteed role for OHS experts or independent arbitrator.
It doesn’t have to be this way!
Management insists the proposed changes are in response to changes to the OHS
Act and the deadline for having new arrangements in place. The Act does say the
Department must have arrangements in place and they must include dispute
settlement provisions. The Act does not say provisions must be weaker than
what’s in the collective agreement or what’s in the Act.
Your health and safety – too important to leave to chance
CPSU believes a key element of any good health and safety arrangements is a
fair and independent way to resolve disputes. If it’s good enough for your
collective agreement and the Act, why not the Department’s OHS arrangements?
Infrastructure union collective agreement
Provides for AIRC conciliation and arbitration
OHS Act
Provides for AIRC resolution
Proposed Infrastructure HSMAs
Internal process, no mandated independent arbitrator
