Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations
Goal, Output, Division, Alignment
Divisional structure
Context
Description of services
Key outcome measure
Action on strategic priorities
Performance
Looking ahead
Divisional structure
Context
With over 200,000 employees in the Queensland Government, the Division of Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations (PSIER) plays a significant role supporting agencies to deliver effective industrial and employee relations policy and strategy. In addition to providing advice about wages and employment policies, the division has a key responsibility of enterprise bargaining with Senior Negotiators working with agencies to negotiate certified agreements.
The division provides high level advice and support to government-owned corporations on a variety of industrial relations issues. Increasingly, the division is taking a lead role on avenues to address skills and staffing supply and demand issues in the Queensland public sector.
Description of services
PSIER provides industrial and employee relations policy and services relating to the government’s own workforce.
Major responsibilities are to:
- undertake, in support of agencies, negotiations for new enterprise bargaining agreements
- improve and review public sector wage bargaining and employee relations policies
- assist agencies to effectively implement government industrial and employee relations policy for public sector employees
- monitor and assist government-owned corporations with matters relating to industrial and employee relations.
Key stakeholders include government, public sector agencies and entities, unions and employees.
Key outcome measure
Quality outcomes and efficient practices in the Queensland public sector
Target: Public sector certified agreements completed within agreed timeframes
The vast majority of Queensland Government agencies are covered by enterprise bargaining agreements negotiated in accordance with the government’s wages policy. The current public sector wages policy provides for collective agreements negotiated with unions, and that negotiations be conducted in good faith, which includes agreeing to meet at reasonable times proposed by another party, complying with negotiation procedures agreed to by the parties and disclosing relevant information.
In 2005, the government negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement with public sector unions. This memorandum includes agreed outcomes for wage increases (4% per annum or $30 per week, whichever is the greater) and enhancements to employment conditions with a focus on family friendly workforce initiatives (e.g. extension of purchased leave to 6 weeks per year and long service leave at half pay for double the period of time).
Action on strategic priorities
Develop public sector wage policy and implement that policy through wage bargaining processes.
The 2005 Memorandum of Agreement has underpinned wage bargaining with public sector unions in 2006–07. In 2006–07, a total of 26 agreements were negotiated and finalised. In a number of negotiations, PSIER used interest-based bargaining, a cooperative problem-solving approach to enterprise bargaining. The department is currently reviewing the public sector wages policy in preparation for the next round of bargaining that is scheduled to commence in 2008.
Provide public sector industrial relations advice and services to support reform to the health system, guarantee public sector productivity and support the attraction and retention of workers to meet identified skill shortages.
The Queensland public sector is facing significant workforce and service delivery challenges in the coming years. The competition for employees will continue to increase as a result of the ageing population and the resulting decline in the growth of labour supply. Competition for labour will increase, particularly in the case of professional, para-professional, technical and trade skills. Skills shortages in many of these areas have already emerged.
DEIR has been working on various initiatives to assist the Queensland public sector attract and retain skilled staff required to deliver services to the community and to complete major infrastructure projects, including:
- a whole-of-government policy which enables agencies to offer short term financial incentives as a means of addressing critical skills shortages in the public sector
- a framework which governs the use of overseas skilled workers in the Queensland public sector
- a review of the Queensland public sector’s salary packaging policy and investigation of a number of packaging initiatives to ensure the maximum benefit available is being used while continuing to ensure an appropriate and transparent use of public monies.
Negotiation of a new career structure and improved employment conditions for most Queensland Health allied health professionals has been a major activity in 2006–07. The proposed agreement supports the health system reform process and will be a key factor in attracting and retaining employees. The agreement complements enterprise agreements negotiated in 2005 and 2006 for Queensland Health doctors and nurses.
In 2007, PSIER trialled a graduate program aimed at addressing skill shortages in the public sector industrial relations area. The six graduates engaged in February 2007 are expected to gain ongoing employment in public sector agencies at the end of 2007. Due to the success of the 2007 program, the division expects to engage eight graduates in 2008.
Work closely with Queensland Government-owned Corporations, statutory bodies and other public sector entities that are subject to the new Work Choices legislation to help them to manage the impact of the legislation.
The amendments to the federal Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Work Choices) have impacted Queensland Government employment in government-owned corporations (GOCs) and in some statutory bodies. The Statutory Bodies Legislation Amendment Act 2007, which became operative on 23 April 2007, facilitates changes in employment arrangements whereby the staff working in the various affected statutory bodies will be employed by unincorporated government entities and as such are beyond the scope of the federal Work Choices legislation.
As the Statutory Bodies Legislation Amendment Act 2007 is for the benefit and protection of employees of Work Choices affected statutory bodies, the Act provides for the preservation of employee entitlements and accruals and the continuity of service. In addition, the new statutory employing offices will be bound by the state industrial instruments that previously applied to the employment of staff in the statutory bodies so that staff will continue to enjoy the benefits of employment terms and conditions protected and guaranteed by state industrial law.
Performance
Policy and legislation
Measure/description |
05-06 |
06-07 |
|---|---|---|
Number of Ministerial Directives reviewed or issued to deal |
15 |
9 |
Client/stakeholder satisfaction in implementing government wages policy |
78% |
95% |
During 2006-07, PSIER reviewed eight existing directives, the outcome of which was clarification or enhancement of entitlements and conditions of employment for public sector employees. PSIER also issued one new directive – Rewards for Creating Commercially Valuable Intellectual Property which provides a mechanism for eligible employees to receive financial rewards for any intellectual property they create which is successfully commercialised with positive revenue returns to government.
PSIER is responsible for implementing the government wages policy by working closely with agencies to negotiate certified agreements. Client feedback indicates a very high level of satisfaction with the assistance the division provides in relation to implementing government wages policy.
Information and advice
Measure/description |
05-06 |
06-07 |
|---|---|---|
Client/stakeholder satisfaction with the services and advice provided on public sector IR |
100% |
97% |
Clients satisfied with the timeliness of services and advice |
New measure |
98% |
For the fourth consecutive year, the PSIER achieved greater than 95% client satisfaction. This rating reflects clients’ views that they thought the overall services of the division were satisfactory, very good or excellent, and indicates a sustained level of service delivery to clients. Maintaining such a high level of client satisfaction over the past four years indicates that the division takes client feedback seriously and is committed to the principles of continuous improvement.
In response to feedback received from clients, the division has developed a more proactive approach to delivering its services. It is critical that the division strengthen its role in assisting to build the industrial relations capacity of the public sector. Consequently, in late 2006, the division commenced half-day forums for industrial relations directors and for practitioners. The directors forums are generally offered each three months, and provide an opportunity for the division to inform industrial relations directors of key strategic industrial relations issues which may impact on their workforce.
The Industrial Relations Operational Network is targeted at industrial relations and human resource practitioners who provide services, advice and support to agencies’ line managers. These three-monthly forums provide detailed information and guidance on how to implement whole-of-government policy on a range of industrial relations and human resource management issues.
Looking ahead
- By the end of 2007, the department will complete its review of public sector wages policy, for the general public sector as well as government-owned corporations.
- In 2007-08, the department will implement changes arising from the Statutory Bodies Legislation Amendment Act 2007 to return identified statutory bodies from the federal industrial relations system back to the state industrial relations system.
- Eighteen certified agreements are due for renewal in 2007-08. The department will work closely with agencies to ensure fair and reasonable wage outcomes.
- The department will continue to work closely with Queensland Health on industrial relations and human resource strategies to continue reform of the health system.
- The department will also work closely with the Office of the Public Service Commissioner in relation to reviewing government policy and practices associated with the attraction and retention of identified skill shortage areas within the Queensland public sector.
- The department provides public sector industrial relations advice and service to public sector entities. This work focuses on assisting the entities to operationalise policy and procedure within the public sector. There will also be a role in ensuring entities affected by recent federal legislative changes properly understand and manage these changes.
Last updated 21 July 2009
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