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Winter 2004

WHAT A SAGA

With the increasing pressures on the public hospital system, workloads always seem to be increasing and restructures are ever present. Where management think they can roll the workers and get something they want, things happen quickly. When workers want something, things usually go on and on forever, with all sorts of delaying tactics used; the frustrations of workers building and building.

Of recent times the tactic from HR seems to be delay, delay, delay, and just before a resolution is about to be achieved, turn the issue into a statewide review and stall it for another 12 or 18 months. So much so, in fact, that HR - originally supposed to be called Human Resources - is now known as the Holdups and Reviews Department.

Witness the LGH medical orderlies reclassification, commenced 2 years ago, now a statewide review process. Witness LGH Corporate Finance Section reclassification commenced 2 years ago, now a statewide review.

Members in all the above areas have stated their frustration with the Department. A reclassification in their opinion should not take this amount of time to be resolved.

A classic example of this is occurring at the Central Sterilising Department in Launceston.

We have carefully documented this saga here so members can see exactly what has happened. It is not hard to understand why members in this section are extremely frustrated.

Here's the full monty.

In June 2002 Central Sterilising Supply Department Technicians at the Launceston General Hospital began the process of having their positions reclassified from Operational Stream Level 5 to Operational Stream level 6.

This process was commenced because staff roles had changed and there has been an everincreasing workload. Management kept adding new duties to daily tasks without consultation.

On the 9 July 2002, staff members forwarded a draft copy of their Statement of Duties to the CNC for comment.

On the 18 September 2002 the employee's final draft was presented to the Acting Director of Nursing - Surgical Program and the Organisational Design Unit for comment and processing.

On the 8 October 2002 Industrial Action commenced in CSSD because the staff had been given new tasks on a trial basis, and this trial had become permanent, with no follow up consultation by Management.

9 October 2002 a meeting was convened to discuss industrial action. But this issue was not resolved so the industrial bans stayed in place.

28 November 2002 work bans were still in place in regards to the undertaking on the new tasks, and still no feedback from Department in regards to their reclassification.

10 December 2002 HACSU contacted the Organisational Design Unit (ODU) on behalf of staff and requested an update on reclassification.

The reply was that they had been requested by management of LGH Theatre to do an assessment and suggested we contact them.

Staff attempted to follow this up with management.

3 January 2003 staff called a Union meeting.

Staff had been informed by the CNC Manager that the Department intended to restructure work practices within CSSD. Correspondence was sent to the CEO of the LGH, outlining employees concerns. A response arrived from the LGH that the status quo would remain until the outcome of the CSSD Technicians reclassification was completed.

7 January 2003 CSSD Technicians were requested to draft a new statement of duties, including all new tasks. They complied with this request.

16 January 2003 CNC informs staff that from February 2003 they would be performing new tasks on the draft statement of duties. HACSU wrote to the CNC reminding her that industrial bans were still in place and that the Department had not commenced meaningful negotiations.

6 Feb 2003 the Department called a meeting in an attempt to resolve the industrial bans. CSSD Technicians presented a list of questions revolving around the request to commence new tasks.

10 February 2003 HACSU wrote to the CNC in regards to the above meeting, outlining staff concerns - increased workload, the absence of management action to address the need for additional resources, and stating that the industrial bans would remain in place.

Management then produced their own draft statement of duties, incorporating all the new tasks they wanted CSSD Technicians to perform.

21 February 2003 the CEO LGH wrote to HACSU saying management had made many attempts to address staff concerns regarding their perceived increases in workload and that the revision of their statements of duties has resulted in a name change to CSSD Technician as per their request. But no mention in regards to their Level increases.

4 June 2003 HACSU requested a membership meeting for an update on where the reclassification was at. No further information was supplied by the Department.

17 July 2003 HACSU received an email from the Department outlining that a new draft statement of duties had been circulated to CSSD staff and that changes had been made after the meeting held on 11 July 2003.

Staff did not agree with all the changes and a request was sent to Human Resources, stating that any further changes made by management not be done without consultation.

4 November 2003 Received request from management for another meeting on 17/11/03. Attached was another draft SOD.

17/11/03 HACSU attended meeting with staff reps. After discussion management and staff could not come to agreement over wording, as the staff did not feel it was not a true reflection of the duties they performed.

HACSU officials meet with staff. They would work on wording of SOD.

9 December 2003 changes sent to Management.

17 December 2003 Management emailed response to HACSU stating that they had looked at staff request of changes but in short did not agree and that they were forwarding their version of the statement of duties for processing by the Organisational Design Unit.

22 December 2003. HACSU holds full membership meeting in CSSD, outlining management's plan.

23 December 2003 HACSU on behalf of members in CSSD wrote a 2-page letter to Director of Nursing Department of Surgery, outlining concerns and disappointment with the Department's decision.

8 January 2004 Director of Nursing acknowledges receipt of our correspondence, but stated that they would continue with process and stated that if employees felt aggrieved once the reclassification was finalised, they could ask for a review of the classification then.

In February 2004 Director of Nursing notified HACSU that ODU had misplaced all the paper work and that she had to resubmit it.

In June 2004 CSSD Technicians Royal Hobart Hospital commenced the process of reclassification.

7 July 2004 The Agency wrote to the Unions outlining that a Central Sterilising Department Technician reviews would commence statewide.