news, latest-news

Ninety labour hire workers will next month start work at Centrelink's debt management branch, just four months after about 80 public service employees in the same area were told their contracts wouldn't be renewed. At the same time, an FAQ document about Human Services' "blended workforce", seen by The Canberra Times, says it is "possible" a position previously held by an APS staff member could be filled using labour hire. "Yes this is possible," the document says, in answer to the question "will a position previously held by an APS staff member be filled using labour hire?". "It will be determined by business need, whether the role requires an APS staff member to perform it, and the government’s ASL cap requirement," it continues. Human Services general manager Hank Jongen said the new workers, who will be customer-facing and located in Moorabbin in Victoria and Toowong in Queensland, will be engaged for two years. "The use of labour-hire staff gives the department flexibility to meet changing demands," he said. Mr Jongen said there would be no permanent job losses as part of the decision to use labour hire, but didn't address a question about whether the workers would be doing similar work to those who hadn't been renewed last year. "This will free up other departmental staff to perform specialised work, including complex case management and increased debt recovery," he said. The use of labour-hire workers at the department has become a bone of contention, with outsourced workers now being used in trials in service centres, as well as multi-million dollar contracts for 2500 call-centre workers rolling out last year. In September last year, workers in the branch who had been on fixed-term contracts were told their contracts wouldn't be renewed when they expired in November, even though many had been on a series of fixed-term contracts. Due to the government's focus on debt recovery, staff in the area had seen an increase in workload and expected recruitment to increase as well. Department secretary Renee Leon told Senate estimates last year the use of contractors was necessary to meet the standard of work required while still meeting the department's average staffing level cap. The Community and Public Sector Union has accused the government of misleading people by saying contracted workers are bolstering public servant numbers, when they appear to be replacing them. "The information here ties in with what we’re hearing from DHS workers on the ground. Scores more directly employed DHS staff on fixed-term contracts are being shown the door, to be replaced with labour hire workers," the union's deputy secretary Melissa Donnelly said. "This is privatisation by stealth for Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support." The document of frequently asked questions refers multiple times to the influence of the average staffing level cap on decisions made about staffing levels, with the union labelling the cap "destructive and wasteful". "No one wins when experienced and knowledgeable DHS staff are replaced with labour-hire workers and contractors, except the corporations that are reaping fat profits by exploiting workers," Ms Donnelly said. "The idea that labour hire workers get paid more and permanent staff want those arrangements has no basis in reality. What we’re always hearing from labour hire workers is that they want what DHS staff have: job security with proper working conditions."

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/a729644d-cb46-4e51-a5e7-e42d5beff416/r0_262_4928_3046_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg