SA Public Service Association strikes deal to end jobs for life
The Public Service Association (PSA) in South Australia has reached an agreement with the State Government to end public servants effectively having a job for life.
The proposed deal caps the period an "excess" worker can remain in employment at 12 months, after which they will be forced to take redundancy.
The proposal, if supported by public servants, also includes a 7.5 per cent pay rise over three years.
Both the Government and Opposition went to the March election promising to abolish tenure. That policy came into effect on July 1, 2014.
The PSA's chief industrial officer, Peter Christopher, said the association had been working with the Government since they were returned to office.
"The policy the PSA has negotiated is aimed at ensuring that anybody who is excess as a result of work-related changes is found ongoing work, particularly when you have a large number of jobs that are being occupied by temporary and casual employees," Mr Christopher said.
He said under the proposed deal, redundant public servants who waited to take a payment would be offered progressively less money over 12 months.
"There is a sliding scale that sees the value of any targeted separation package reduced," he said.
Mr Christopher said under the changes, the Government would then have the right to sack employees.
"Ultimately the Government has the ability to force people out," he explained.
"However in a workforce in excess of 80,000 we're only talking of redeployees in the order of 100 to 150 people.
"[Given] the fact that there are thousands of temporary and casual staff employed, we expect there will not be any genuine redundancies because there is suitable work across government to be undertaken."
Mr Christopher said the change in the regulations for tenure was a compromise he believed members would be willing to make.
"The Treasurer made it clear they had budgeted for a 2.5 per cent [pay increase] each year but that further increases were available subject to savings being found," he said.
"Members have advised their workloads are horrific at the moment, trying to do the work they are currently doing, and what they didn't want the PSA to be pursuing was a slightly higher wage increase for a detrimental affect on their work by seeing further jobs cut around them."
