Changes at RPA: Car park and Childcare

Transcription

1 Newsletter: 261/2016 Date: 10 June 2016 Distribution: All members RPA Contact: Peter Mason Dear Member, Changes at RPA: Car park and Childcare Attached is correspondence the HSU has received from Sydney Local Health District regarding: (1) The announcement of the construction of a new car park on the RPA campus. (2) Childcare will no longer be provided by the Lucas Street Childcare Centre RPA Hospital, Effective 6pm Friday 26 August Member feedback requested The HSU industrial team is currently reviewing the potential impacts of the proposed restructure upon affected employees. We are now seeking feedback, views and comments from our members. Please review the attached documentation and provide comment and feedback by close of business Friday June 24 th You can submit it by to restructure@hsu.asn.au with subject line RPA Carpark & Childcare. HSU organiser and sub-branch involvement Your HSU organiser Peter Mason will be visiting your workplace shortly and convening a meeting to discuss the matter with affected employees. The HSU is also seeking expressions of interest from members to be part of the consultative process as a workplace delegate in any upcoming USCC meetings regarding this proposal. The most effective way to deal with these kinds of proposals is by taking into account the concerns of the group/ groups, agreeing on a way forward and presenting that united position to management. Please distribute this newsletter to your work colleagues for their information and comments and encourage them to attend the meeting. Not a member of the HSU? Now is time to join and have your say! You can join online at or call and join over the phone. A union s effectiveness and negotiation power strongly depends upon the strength and density of its membership base. Join your work colleagues today by becoming a member of the Health Services Union and help us to continue to protect, build and improve your working life. In unity, Gerard Hayes Secretary, HSU NSW/ACT

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4 Questions and Answers for Lucas Street Child Care Centre Staff What is happening to the Lucas Street Child Care Centre site? SLHD is building a new multi-storey car park on the RPA campus which will accommodate about 1000 cars. It is expected to be operational within 18 months. We have listened to staff concerns raised after the existing multi-storey car park and adjacent on grade car park was handed over to the Macquarie International Health Clinic in November The new car park will be located behind the Professor Marie Bashir Centre on the site of the Lucas Street Child Care Centre What does this mean for the Lucas Street Child Care Centre? As you are aware, space on the RPA campus is extremely limited. The only usable space which is not dedicated to future clinical services is behind the Professor Marie Bashir Centre. Lucas Street Child Care Centre will be cleared to make way for the new car park. The child care services at RPAH will cease on Friday 26 August Am I affected by this change? As an employee working in the Child Care Centre, you are an affected employee. Affected employees are staff members whose positions have been deleted, altered or relocated as a result of organisational change and who will become excess if they are not placed in a position within the new structure or organisation. What does this mean for me? As an affected employee you will be given priority for consideration for any suitable roles within SLHD in line with your skills and experience. This includes any vacancies at Yarralla Child Care Centre at Concord Hospital. RPA has negotiated with a new private child care centre in Camperdown to give all parents and staff from the Lucas Street Child Care Centre the option of a placement at their centre. The new centre, run by Guardian Early Learning, is located only 600 metres from RPA on Denison Street. In addition to the Denison St Centre, Guardian has three other inner west centres at Balmain, Marrickville and Haberfield and parents and staff will, if more convenient, have the option to elect one of these other centres. This arrangement ensures continuity of care for the children, peace of mind for parents and ongoing employment for our staff.

5 Will I be declared as excess? A staff member is declared excess when they no longer have a substantive position and the employer determines that there are no other suitable vacant permanent or temporary positions in the organisation into which the staff member may be placed. At this time, a voluntary redundancy (VR) is offered. A VR is a voluntary termination payment to a permanent staff member. You will not be excluded for consideration of an offer of a VR if you are declared excess by SLHD and employed by Guardian. What provisions apply if I decide not to pursue employment with Guardian as an option? There will be an opportunity for redeployment or relocation to another position within RPA, the Sydney Local Health District or NSW Health as per NSW Health Policy. The Ministry of Health policy, Managing Excess Staff of the NSW Health Service (PD2012_021), outlines the manner in which employees of a service, when declared excess staff of the NSW Health Service, are managed in relation to redeployment and redundancy. Where can I get information about Guardian Early Learning? Preliminary correspondence from Guardian is attached and we will arrange for representatives from Guardian to be on-site over the coming days. Guardian will provide information about employment opportunities with them and their employment conditions. Guardian s website is: Will I have the same work conditions and hours if I choose to go to a Guardian Childcare Centre? Your work conditions and terms of employment will be determined by Guardian. Do I have to go to the childcare centre offered? No, the acceptance of an offer from Guardian is up to you. Are you going to build a new child care centre in the future? We intend to build a child care centre elsewhere on the campus once the car park is complete. If a new child care centre is built at RPA will I get a priority position at the centre? All positions will be advertised and awarded on the basis of merit as per the Ministry of Health Recruitment and Selection of Staff to the NSW Health Service policy.

6 Restructuring, Displacement, Voluntary and Forced Redundancy How does it work? The requirement for consultation with employees and unions where significant restructuring is proposed will not change. Employees will only be declared Excess after all suitable, available, alternative positions have been filled. Alternative positions may be permanent or temporary and employees may be transferred into them. An employee will only be declared excess when they no longer have a substantive position and the LHD determines that there are no other suitable vacant, permanent or temporary positions into which the employee may be placed. How long do I have to decide my options? Discussions will commence immediately with you and a Workforce Services/Human Resources representative to ensure compliance with all relevant policies so that in advance of the Centre closing, you are aware of what will happen. Can I change my mind about a VR? In the circumstance where a VR is officially rejected it will not be offered again for the same affected position. The Ministry of Health s policy provides timeframes for an acceptance of a VR to enable an informed decision to be made. Can I keep/ transfer my leave entitlements? Yes, if you remain within the NSW Health system. If you transfer to another NSW Public sector agency, long service and sick leave entitlements can be transferred (if continuous service). If you are offered and accept a VR, leave entitlements will be paid out to you. Will I need to stay until the last day? If you elect possible redeployment then you remain until a suitable position is identified and you are able to be released, if prior to date of closure. If you elect to resign of your own free will, then the required Award notice in writing is required (ie 28 days notice for Teachers and one week s notice for Child Care Workers). I will be on leave when these changes occur, how will it affect me? We will make contact with you directly to provide and discuss possible options. I have booked in leave; will I still be able to take it? Leave that has been approved for the period the service is still operational will be honoured.

7 If I leave NSW Health and take a voluntary redundancy can I work for NSW Health again? Yes but not immediately - staff members who accept a voluntary redundancy cannot be re-employed or re-engaged in any capacity in the NSW public sector agency within the period covered by their severance payment and incentive payment, without first repaying the relevant proportion of their severance payment and incentive payment. What will happen to my leave entitlements if I elect to go over to Guardian? At the time of resignation from the SLHD all relevant leave entitlements would be paid out (eg. Annual Leave, LSL, Extra Leave, P/H Leave, Maternity Leave already commenced). What happens when it is determined that an employee is excess? The employee: 1. Is informed in writing that s/he is excess from the date of the advice 2. Is offered voluntary redundancy (VR) to the maximum benefit value provided for in the policy (currently up to the equivalent of 52 weeks (1 years) pay based on their years of service and other factors 3. Has 2 weeks in which to decide whether or not to accept the VR offer and advise the employer accordingly. What happens if I accept the VR offer? You must leave the NSW Health Service within 2 weeks or at a time nominated by the employer. What happens if I reject the VR offer or do not respond to it? If you do not respond to an offer of VR it will be taken that you have rejected it. Rejection of the VR offer means that a retention period of 3 months commences during which re-deployment opportunities will be pursued (with the support of the employer). During this period you would receive salary maintenance. However, if you remain unplaced without an alternative position at the end of the 3 month retention period you will be made forcibly redundant at that point. The value of a forced redundancy payout is significantly less (approximately 50%) than the value of a voluntary redundancy payout. If in the future I am re-employed in the NSW Health System will my service count? Service, for incremental purposes on a salary scale, may be applicable under certain classifications. Service, for long service leave purposes, will, for most instances, count.

8 If in the future I am re-employed in the NSW Health System can I transfer my accrued entitlements? No. Any questions about the processes involved or any concerns you may have should in the first instance be raised with your manager, Ms Jennifer Green. Other resources available to you are Gina Finocchiaro, Director Workforce Services, SLHD on or gina.finocchiaro@sswahs.nsw.gov.au and Jackie Mills, Director Human Resources, RPAH, on or jackie.mills@sswahs.nsw.gov.au.

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