CPSU Believes up to 950 to Face Axe - Union Totally Opposes – Goes to Tribunal

The Baillieu Government is refusing to provide information about proposed job cuts in the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD)  to its workforce and relevant union, the Community and Public Sector Union.

Late on Tuesday 14 August DEECD released some information about a proposed departmental restructure but refused to provide its workforce and CPSU with its overall state-wide proposal. This information would provide CPSU and the workforce detailed information of the proposed job cuts.

Under the relevant workplace agreement the Baillieu Government is obliged to provide detailed information to its workforce and CPSU of any major change, including job cuts. DEECD informed CPSU that they would only hand over this information if the union agreed to keep the documents confidential.

Assistant Branch Secretary Jim Walton, said “The Baillieu Government is asking CPSU to keep secret details of job cuts. The workforce and the Victorian community have a right to know how many jobs will go and what services in the education department will face the axe.”

CPSU believes that up to 950 jobs could go. The Baillieu Government has already confirmed that 400 positions will be axed and has not confirmed whether 150 positions that have not been replaced through attrition will be replaced. There are also up to 150 fixed term contracts that may not be renewed at the end of this year.  Four hundred staff are employed on contracts according to the department’s annual report and there are no guarantees their work will continue.

CPSU believes the already hard-hit TAFE sector could face further cuts, in the area of Higher Education and Skills Group. Other areas that could face cuts include:
 

• Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, responsible for delivering and evaluating  curriculum, including the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), Victorian Early Years, Learning and Development Framework, AusVELS, and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). VCAA is also responsible for overseeing NAPLAN
• Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), responsible for registering education and training providers
• School Education Group, responsible for overseeing all Victorian public schools
• Early Childhood Development Group, responsible for overseeing Victoria’s early childhood sector

CPSU has applied to Fair Work Australia to obtain an order to force the State Government to hand over the job cut information in full.

“It is extraordinary that this Government continues to hide its plans regarding what most in the Victorian community would regard as crucial education services. In the end these cuts will mean that Victorian students and families suffer.”

 

JIM WALTON

Victorian Assistant Branch Secretary