Andrews government backs down on plan to sack public servants
The Andrews government has backed down on part of a plan to sack thousands of public servants, in a move seen as a major win for the public sector union.
Victoria
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The Andrews government has made a major back down on its plan to sack thousands of public servants, issuing new advice that it will only use compulsory redundancies as a last resort.
The move is a major victory for the Community and Public Sector Union, which has campaigned heavily against plans to cut 4000 jobs across the service revealed before the state budget.
The job losses, described as bringing the service back to “pre-pandemic levels’’, were touted by Treasurer Tim Pallas as a key part of his debt repair plan alongside increased taxes.
But the move incensed the union who warned there was no sustainable way to cut so many jobs without hurting services, with departments asked to find savings of up to 10 per cent.
The Andrews government was set to push on with the redundancies despite this opposition but this week caved on their plans and turned their attention to transferring or “redeploying” staff to other areas.
In its approved “budget reprioritisation guide”, the government now says “termination of employment is an option of last resort”.
“Consistent with the industrial relations policies, where an individual’s role is declared surplus, the priority should be on redeployment, wherever possible,” it reads.
This is a major change from the first draft of the document which spelled out the need for job losses to achieve the government’s savings.
In a letter to members, CPSU state secretary Karen Batt claimed a win for the union.
“Our input has had a significant influence in changing the original narrative from compulsory redundancies set out in the first draft which are now off the table, to attempting to use all available options,” she wrote.
“CPSU has sought to hold the government to its commitments about the use of consultants and labour hire.”
The new guidelines also put responsibility on to government departments to consult with staff heavily before making decisions on redundancies, cost savings or changes to the way they work.
Ms Batt said the union expected departments to work under this new policy and would pursue its industrial options if they did not follow the guidelines.
The move is likely to save the government money in the short-term because it will not have to pay out thousands of staff’s leave and redundancy entitlements.
But the longer-term costs will depend on whether the government can still keep public service figures down through natural attrition and through flexibility to use those currently employed across different departments.
A government spokesman said they were working with the union and would continue to consult over the “challenging” transition of staff.
“The public service grew during the pandemic as Victoria responded to a one-in-100-year event and now it will balance back towards pre-pandemic levels,” he said.
“Frontline services will not be affected.
“We have a record of improving and delivering more services including expansions in health, prevention of family violence and mental health, and we will continue to make that our priority.”