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Summer 2008

HACSUassist 12 Months On

The HACSU assist contact centre celebrated its 12 month anniversary on 25 May 2008.

During HACSUassist's 12 months of operation, centre staff have received 20,925 phone calls over 251 working days, and have averaged 83.36 phone calls per day.

Many calls HACSUassist receive from members cover a wide range of topics including; enquiries about workers compensation, bullying and harassment assistance and advice, disciplinary meeting representation and advice, pay issues, leave issues, problems with management, restructures, redundancies, position descriptions, classification, and so on.

The HACSUassist contact centre employs over four full time staff members including HACSUassist Manager Craig Stringer, and three industrial organisers; Peter Aiken, Tammy Munro and Leanne McDougall, who have an industrial knowledge base of over 50 years between them.

HACSUassist organisers can answer your questions quickly and efficiently and any matters that require research will be solved quicker than if you were to speak directly to a field organiser.

The HACSUassist service frees up other HACSU organisers to be out in workplaces dealing with a range of collective issues.

The HACSUassist contact centre staff now deal with individual member grievances that require face to face meetings in the workplace, and can be arranged at the HACSU office in Hobart.

HACSUassist has achieved some successful outcomes for individual members; including back pay for waiting time for late payment of wages, back pay for allowances, and so on.

The HACSUassist contact centre has undertaken outbound calling in the past, but with the appointment of Leanne McDougall to coordinate this activity, we have been able to contact more members about a wide range of issues.

Leanne now manages a group of casual employees who assist with this task, and they undertake outbound calls three nights a week.

The HACSUassist outbound call centre has contacted HACSU members on the following issues;

• Public Sector Unions Wages Agreement; to notify members of Stop Work meetings

• Public Sector Disability Services; to notify members regarding their employment and if they have moved to the private sector

• Southern Cross Care EBA campaign

• Tasmanian Ambulance Service survey

• Huon Eldercare EBA campaign

• Allied Health Professionals EBA survey

• Royal Hobart Hospital Food Services Workplace Issues

Outbound calls are conducted between 5pm and 8pm, and HACSU members usually find the time to participate in the surveys that HACSUassist are conducting.

The outbound calls have been well received by members, feedback suggests that members are pleased that their union is taking the time to call them, and seek their views on issues that may impact them.

Recently a member of the HASCUassist team attended a two day training program in Melbourne with the ACTU.

Union organisers from around Australia were surprised when they heard about the service HACSUassist provides its members, and were particularly impressed with the centre dealing with all issues from beginning to the end.

If you are in need of advice or assistance regarding any workplace issue then be assured that HACSUassist can help you resolve your problem quickly and efficiently.

HACSUassist can be contact by calling 1300 88 00 32 or email assist@hacsutas.net.au