BY JENNY LONG
SYDNEY — On August 14, employees of the NSW government's Office of Industrial Relations (OIR), formerly the Department of Industrial Relations, began industrial action in protest at savage jobs cuts and restructuring, announced without warning two weeks ago.
The workers, members of the Public Service Association (PSA), walked off the job for two hours and picketed the OIR's head office in Sydney. Industrial action was also taken at regional OIR centres in Newcastle, Wollongong, Bankstown, Parramatta and Coffs Harbour.
The OIR provides employers and employees across NSW with information on industrial laws, awards, pay rates and other employee entitlements. OIR officers visit workplaces around the state, investigating complaints and prosecuting shonky employers.
The Labor state government's proposed restructure reduces OIR's three branches to two, cutting essential support staff and undermining critical functions such as the popular Award Enquiry Service. To add insult to injury, OIR management is also seeking to create another layer of senior executive positions.
OIR management gave no notice to its employees of the job cuts and has still not provided details on their full extent, saying only that "at least" 11 positions will be cut.
"We believe that number may be significantly higher", said PSA industrial officer Anthony D'Adam. He said OIR management's document "shows 50 existing positions, out of a total of 200, are affected — 19 positions are to be deleted, 11 are to be deleted or transferred, and 20 are to be deleted and new positions created".
Some workers were told they had lost their jobs at a general staff meeting, while many others are still waiting to find out where they stand.
Workers at OIR's head office voted unanimously for ongoing industrial action in the form of weekly two-hour stop-works until management agrees to suspend the restructure and carry out a serious consultation.
The OIR sackings are part of a wave of public service job cuts announced in the June 24 state budget by Premier Bob Carr's government, in a re-run of those made in the first budget after Carr's 1999 election victory.
PSA members are also under attack in a number of other departments, including the Anti-Discrimination Board (which is to be halved over the next two years), as well as the NSW education department and TAFE colleges, where at least 700 public service jobs are to be cut along with teaching service jobs, and the Department of Health, where corporate services are to be devolved to area health services or "elsewhere".
PSA members at the OIR recognised this, passing a workplace motion calling on their union to coordinate industrial action across all government departments. The motion was adopted by the union's August 11 central council meeting, but its implementation relies on active support from the union's executive. OIR staff are awaiting the outcome of negotiations before deciding on their next action.
From Green Left Weekly, August 20, 2003.
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