This week, we shared our professional staff workload clauses with management representatives. Our primary aim is to ensure that management takes its occupational health and safety responsibilities seriously and stops turning a blind eye to work intensification. Over the past several years, our surveys of members demonstrate significant overwork and work stress. We have an opportunity now to fix this.
Management indicated they will consider the broader principles around this issue but baulked at having a mechanism in the Agreement to ensure this happens. However, the reality is that it's not enforceable if it's not in the Agreement. We'll keep pushing to ensure safe workloads, management accountability, and genuine staff input on workload and appropriate staffing levels becomes an enforceable right in the new Agreement.
This week we also discussed management's proposed changes to probation. As with the other draft clauses they have presented to us in this bargaining round, all protections have been omitted in their drafting. These proposals are unacceptable in their current form, and protections against arbitrary termination during probation periods must be reincluded.
Also unacceptable are management's proposed changes to performance and staff development. Here the onus has shifted from the current emphasis on staff development to management directives. While the email to staff from management promises a commitment 'to fostering employee performance and investing in professional development', this elides the fact that the current (inadequate) clause that puts money aside for this process will disappear from any future Agreement.
While we stand at opposite ends of the spectrum, there has been some attempt to reach an agreement on several issues. We shared with management our amendments to clauses relating to professional staff reclassification. These proposals go some way to simplify the current clauses but retain protections and rights to a fair, open, and collegiate process. Management shared their redrafted clauses on shiftwork, overtime, travel, and higher duties allowances. These have been softened, and staff rights have been strengthened (including that no one will be penalised for refusing to accept higher duties). We are yet to work through the hugely problematic increase to 8.30 pm in management's proposed change to the span of hours. We'll pick up on these issues in the coming weeks.
In our next bargaining meeting, we revisit clauses that deal with unsatisfactory performance and misconduct, among other matters, and continue the fight. We hope to see you on Monday.