The audited financial statements and report on 2019/20 operations is available with Victorian Public Service (VPS) bargaining negotiations for a new whole of VPS enterprise agreement commencing in July 2019 with bargaining concluding during the reporting period.

The agreement covers the VPS comprising 52 departments and agencies and over 50,000 employees.

New agreements were approved by FWC for Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Australian Council for Educational Research limited, Visit Victoria Limited, and Development Victoria

Negotiations for new agreements with the following employers occurred during the reporting period

•       CoINVEST limited
• ·         Emergency Services Superannuation Board
• ·         Greyhound Racing Victoria
• ·         SERCO Traffic Camera Services
•       G4S Port Phillip Prison
• ·         Goulburn Murray Rural Water Authority
• ·         Fulham Correctional Centre

The Covid19 pandemic had a significant impact on the union’s operations. From early March 2020 the union has been required to operate remotely due to public health restrictions. Union employees and officials have been required to work from home. Workplace visits, meetings, negotiations, training, and dispute resolution processes have needed to be conducted remotely via various video meeting platforms including Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Victoria’s response to the Covid 19 pandemic has had a far reaching impact on the work of the union’s members.

CPSU has been actively involved in representing members to address the challenges of responding to the pandemic. This has included consultation with Departments/agencies about OHS obligations, developing and implementing safe working arrangements for members.

An IR Framework for the VPS was negotiated to better respond to operational requirements, provide enhanced leave entitlements for employees adversely impacted by Covid 19 quarantine requirements. In addition, support payment were secured for Victorian Public Sector workers unable to work in shutdown facilities such as the Museum, State Library, and National Gallery where employees are ineligible for the Commonwealth support. Fixed term and casual employment contracts were extended.

The union continued to participate in ACTU and VTHC generated campaigns such as the Industrial Manslaughter and Ensuring Integrity campaigns.

The union continued to participate in a range of consultative forums for Whole of Government activities such as the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee, the Equal Workplaces Advisory Council including advice on the application of the NZ Gender Pay Principles into a Victorian setting to assist inform the Government on the Gender Equality Act.

The union also partnered with the Government for the creation of the Youth Employment Program and continued with the pilot of the Youth Cadetship program so as to provide a new pathway for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in to jobs in the VPS.

CPSU, in partnership with Maurice Blackburn, the Australia Multicultural Foundation, and Museums Victoria hosted an inaugural CPSU Women of Colour Conference in October 2019 which brought together women of colour from diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds in order to better understand the barriers they may have to a successful career in the VPS.

This resulted in the union entering a partnership with WorkSafe to work towards address workplace health and safety issues as they affect this cohort of workers.

The union also continued its work under the WorkSafe Victoria’s Work Well project on the Vicarious Trauma toolkit, focussing on mental health and wellbeing and working with agencies DHHS and DJCS to pilot strategies that may assist members deal with trauma they experience in their daily work.

 

During the reporting period the union received 80 notification of change from various employers.

Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020 we opened 1362 new cases, comprising 700 enquiries (phone, email, walk-in), 625 industrial cases and 37 WorkCover cases. We closed 1343 cases, comprising 700 enquiries (phone, email, walk-in), 640 industrial cases and 33 WorkCover cases

The number of full-time equivalents employees at 30 June 2020 was 52.54 (2019: 48.55)

The number of financial members, inclusive of the Retired Officers Division, at 30 June 2020 was 14,667 (2019: 13,768).