Reporting In 08/12/08

Reportingin News for staff in CJS 08/12/08

Authorised Toni Walkington, Branch Secretary, CPSU/CSA

2008 has been a massive year for our Union with plenty of activity to improve pay and conditions in Corrective Services. It is hard to believe that it was a year ago that Members engaged in Industrial action as a result of the employer’s unwillingness to address excessive workloads and honour our contract of service. In this issue we will look back at those events and reflect on the protections for staff that we won and discuss the progress of our campaign and the Departments current resistance to appropriately remunerate experienced field workers. Reportingin is intended to encourage communication between Delegates, Members, potential members and Union staff, ensuring all are better informed as to the circumstances we are experiencing as workers and as to the progress of our campaigns. The strength of any union revolves around the knowledge and activism of its Members. Please think of this newsletter as a forum where Members can share information, broadcast their concerns and be active in the fight to improve and protect our pay and conditions. Remember, at the end of the day we are the Union.

From 31 October to 5 November ‘08 staff of the Department of Corrective Services engaged in strike action. In the strike days Members picketed head office, Fremantle and Mirrabooka Community Justice Services as well as marching on the Premier’s Office. The solidarity of Members and (the agument of our strength) forced our employer to negotiate and to implement measures to cap client and report numbers. All Community Correction and Juvenile Justice Officers now benefit from the workload caps and have a dispute resolution procedure accessible to ensure the employer provides a reasonable workload in the employees contract of service.

If you have an industrial matter of concern to you please direct your enquiry in the first instance to your Delegate (see list overleaf).

To commemorate the Strike, Julie Taylor, DCS Organiser will be visiting all metropolitan branches in the next three weeks. The highlight of these visits will be the screening of footage from the industrial action. It is important to note that the employer has not committed long term to workload reductions, with the current Workload Management Strategy possibly expiring in April 2009.

Excessive Workload- Enough was enough.

As a result a key focus of these meetings will be how Members can assist the campaign and protect their conditions of employment.

If you have a story or would like to make comment on this edition of Reportingin, please email: [email protected]

For years we were exploited by our employer, excessive caseloads and reports where issued, with no explanation of how the work could be completed within our contract of service. We completed the work due to our professionalism and commitment to our clients, as a result many worked themselves to breaking point, others took work home or attended on weekends, it was our good will that kept the community safe. On 31 October ‘08 after a heated meeting, in which the Commissioner and his Directors refused to acknowledge the high cost of work overload on our Members, we resolved to take control of our work conditions. Members had reached “breaking point”.

Workplace visits & video screenings Organiser Julie Taylor will commence a series of visits to your workplaces in CJS on Thu 4 Dec. She will hold meetings and screen a short edited video from the now infamous 31 Oct ‘07 Members meeting with the Commissioner and his Team. Dates/times TBA.

For a timeline of industrial action events and photo’s from the campaign please visit www.cpsucsa.org/DCS

JOIN: see your Delegate, visit: www.cpsucsa.org/join or call 1300 733 800

Reportingin

News for staff in CJS 08/12/08

Authorised Toni Walkington, Branch Secretary, CPSU/CSA

Workload Management Strategy

On 5 September 2008, as a result of significant pressure and detailed submissions by Union Delegates and Organisers, the Department increased pay rates for CCO’s and JJO’s from On the 21 October 2008 the Department Lecvel 3/4 to level 4. The Department of Corrective Services and our Union representatives attended the six month report however continues to show disregard of the human capital in its experienced staff. back in the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC). Both parties Employees, despite many holding degrees, are excluded from the Specified Callings; resolved to continue with the interim order, which is the Workload Management Strategy, a widely held view is that the Department benefits dramatically from the qualifications for a further six months. of graduates. INFORMATION URGENTLY NEEDED on the workload levels and lost hours of Case Support (CSO) and Senior Case Support Officers (SCSO). Any CSO or SCSO who is concerned about the amount or nature of the work they are being asked to undertake is asked to contact their Delegates or UnionLink. We will continue to push for permanent caps on workloads for staff.

Lunch & Learns We are currently running a series of short Training sessions in our workplaces. These sessions include topics such as Bullying, Issues in the Workplace, Dealing with Angry customers etc. You choose your topic. The 2009 dates will be updated in the New Year. See: www.cpsucsa.org/training or email: [email protected]

Reclassifications In October 2008 we put forward a proposal to pursue a Level 4/5 classification for Community Corrections Officers and Juvenile Justice Officers. After further campaigning, the Dept responded on 5 September by reclassifying CCO’s and JJO’s from L3/4 to L4.

Delegates will continue to argue the case for the Department to recognise and remunerate our true work value. Please watch this space for further campaign updates. For a summary of the correspondence between the Dept and the CPSU/CSA on the work value of CCO’s and JJO’s see the campaign site: www.cpsucsa.org/DCS

Your CJS Delegates Name

Workplace

Currently the Department is failing to retain many experienced staff, increasing the workload pressures and the proportion of complex clients for the experienced staff remaining. As a result our Union sought from the employer a reclassification to level 4/5.

Peter Hams

CJS Albany Adult

Sindy-lea Clarke

CJS Belmont Adult

Mahi Weiss

CJS Belmont Juvenile

Laurie Sutherland

CJS Bunbury

Donna Sekkouah

CJS Bunbury Juvenile

On the 31st of October 2008 (I hope the irony of the date is not lost on Members), Commissioner Ian Johnson, advised us that a reclassification to level 4/5 would be refused. In an open letter the Commissioner advised:

Todd Ellery

CJS Busselton Adult

Dallas Wheatley

CJS Carnarvon Adult

Pia Annese

CJS Fremantle Adult

Michelle Melville-Main

CJS Fremantle Juvenile

Sue Burton

CJS Geraldton

‘I do not accept that many of the changes [in work] represent an increase in work value... The Department maintains its view that the appropriate classification of these positions is at level 4.’

Sally Curtis

CJS Joondalup Adult

Jennifer Calogero

CJS Joondalup Juvenile

Amy Smith

CJS Maddington Juvenile

John Pavlinovich

CJS Midland Juvenile

Morgan Bonnett

CJS Mt Lawley Adult

Jane Connor

CJS Mt Lawley Adult

Graeme Mason

CJS Narrogin Juvenile

Storm Stuart

CJS Northam Adult

Gavro Draca

CJS Perth

Shane Giles

CJS Perth

Vanessa Pizzi

CJS Rockingham Adult

Claire Clamp

CJS Roebourne Adult

Susan McKenna

CJS South Hedland

Russell Hayward

CJS South Hedland Adult

Ross Layton

CJS Victoria Park Juvenile

Sandra Crowley

CJS Warwick Adult

Glenn McFarlane

CJJ Killara

Zoran Trajkovski

Childrens Court

We are extremely disappointed in the position of the Department, as experienced officers will know the complexity of clients we see on a daily basis has increased dramatically as a result of increased substance abuse, the internet and across the Board increase in the seriousness of offences.

As a result of these work changes the valueadded component of our work, rehabilitation and intervention, has increased dramatically to be responsive with the increase in accountability measures, client and offending needs. Who does the Department think has This was a very good start and represents a few thousand dollars payrise for new starters. been doing the work whilst it has failed to provide programmes ? [ Lets ensure they know just how this occurred! ]

JOIN: see your Delegate, visit: www.cpsucsa.org/join or call 1300 733 800