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Summer 2003

Classification dispute at CSD Hobart Private

The management of the Central Sterilizing Department at the Hobart Private take the prize in this edition of Inform for “make it up as you go along management”.

This follows a dispute arising out of queries by members about why some members, working side-byside and doing exactly the same job as others, were being paid different rates some at level 3 and others at level 4.

When asked why this was, the initial response by management was that staff that had completed the Oten Sterilising Course were paid the higher rate.

However, when staff checked this, they found it was not so. In fact, some staff who had not done the course were still getting paid at the higher level.

Staff requested that all workers doing this work should be paid at the Level 4 rate, based on the level of their responsibility and duties they were performing.

No prizes for guessing the management response to fixing this. Yep, that those staff who had not completed the course should be dropped down a level until such time as they had completed the course, even though it had been shown that this was not the principle which had been applied to date.

Staff pointed out to management that people had previously been promoted from Level 3 to 4 to "equalise" pay rates, and that the over-riding promotion principle had always been the level of responsibility.

Management simply brushed all of this aside, unilaterally making the requirement for the training certificate a requirement.

As Inform goes to press, staff were predictably digging their heels in, refusing to accept any pay downgradings, for to have long-standing promotion principles of level of responsibility discarded. Stay tuned.

STOP PRESS

The CSD classification dispute has been resolved as Inform goes to press.

After discussion between the DON and HACSU members, it has been resolved that the level 4 position can now be obtained either through the attainment of a set of agreed competencies, or by holding the CSD technicians certificate. A minimum of two years experience in the area is also required. All members are confident they will prove their competency having been doing these tasks all along.