News Flash

The Public Service Association (PSA) has been formally advised by the Department for Correctional Services of their intention to undertake a review of its administrative functions across all business units.

The review will inform the Department's Executive of potential business improvements across directorates. The PSA will seek to ensure that this review will not be an exercise in cutting administrative and support services jobs and increase already demanding workloads.

Prisoner and offender numbers are continually increasing and administrative and support resources have failed to increase to meet these demands. Administrative workers and support staff provide essential services to custodial institutions and operations as well as a vital role within community corrections. Without adequate front-line administrative and support workers custodial services and community corrections operations are compromised.

These services have previously been treated as soft targets, with DCS failing to backfill leave and extended vacancies or absences. DCS have previously directed that such vacancies are not filled and that it is acceptable for Administrative workers to cover their colleagues absences and vacancies; in effect perform two or more jobs. Administrative workers have also had to fight to be paid higher duties when acting in higher classified positions. The new PS Act 2009 allows for all Public Sector workers to be paid higher duties for each day they perform above their classification. Some administrative workers have been required to work at a range of locations in an ad hoc fashion, fill vacancies across regions at their own expense, as opposed to effectively staffing all locations.

The PSA will be working to ensure this exercise is not an attack on administrative jobs and employees and engage in consultation with DCS to ensure members are not adversely affected by the review. DCS have committed to further consultation should the review result in the requirement for significant change.

1 June 2010