|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
       
|
|
 Home Campaign Bulletins Schools
News for GAs, December 200615 December 2006Welcome to GAs NewsThe PSA regularly sends SAS Staff Newsletters to your school. These newsletters contain information relevant to General Assistants. If you do not receive these newsletters please ask the Administrative Staff at your school to ensure you get a copy. In addition, the PSA will produce the GAs News a couple of times a year to keep you informed.If you have internet access previous SAS Staff Newsletters can be found at www.psa.labor.net.au . Also, on the PSA website are PSA membership forms to encourage your colleagues to join. You can also update your personal details online. General Assistants Working PartyAt its October meeting the Schools Departmental Committee resolved to establish an Interim Working Party of General Assistants to discuss issues relating to General Assistants. Currently, General Assistants are required to meet once a term in Sydney on a Wednesday evening. This is difficult for the majority of GAs and as a quorum was not reached the meetings could not proceed. PSA Regional Organisers were asked to suggest names of GAs to participate in the Interim Working Party. Provision will then be made to set up an official GAs Working Party. There will also be regular district meetings to enable GAs to participate in and discuss common issues.Revised Statement of DutiesThe interim working party has met and discussed a new Draft Statement of Duties as well as a number of other issues outlined below. The Department developed a revised Statement of Duties for General Assistants and following wide consultation with GAs the Department's proposal was rejected. Using the information gathered from members and PSA Industrial Staff the Interim Working Party has developed a Draft Statement of Duties. This draft is a working document and will form the basis for negotiations with the Department.The PSA will continue to update members on the progress of these negotiations. Prior to any agreement on a new Statement of Duties General Assistants who are PSA members will be fully consulted.
Supply of ToolsSome GAs are using their own tools for work purposes. A number of schools supply GAs with a good range of tools and equipment to carry out their work, however, the range and quality of these items vary greatly. Arising from this the Working Party is developing a proposal for an agreed tool kit entitlement.Entitlement to protective clothing and equipmentAll General Assistants have an automatic entitlement to a range of protective clothing and equipment. These items should be supplied on appointment and replaced when items become unserviceable. GAs can purchase these items and be reimbursed by the school or have the school billed direct.A full list of these standard entitlements is available for our members in the PSAs General Assistants Survival Kit. For a copy of the Kit please call the PSA on 9290 1555 or 1800 467 932 and ask for the Schools Team - we will send you a copy. These kits are only available to PSA Members. Permanency for General AssistantsThe PSA has negotiated, with DET, permanency for long-term temporary General Assistants. There are 566 General Assistants who have been long-term temporary employees for over three years and in some cases for well over a decade. The Department has now agreed to make these GAs permanent. To be eligible for permanent appointment GAs must meet certain criteria. The DET and the PSA will continue discussions on a process for eligible GAs to be appointed permanently as soon as possible.FM WebSchool Administrative and Support Staff including General Assistants are not responsible for school site maintenance and management using FM Web. This is the responsibility of the Principal.You should not be using FM web for these activities. The Principal cannot delegate this responsibility to SAS staff. The PSA believes that this responsibility can be used to gain better wages and conditions for GAs. If you are using FM Web you will undermine our ability to make these gains. Dealing with visiting contractors and maintenance companies. General Assistants currently perform a range of tasks liaising and oversighting the work of contractors. This is not the role of General Assistants. All School Administrative and Support Staff are reminded that they should not sign any document that verifies the quality of work performed by contractors at school. GAs are neither paid nor authorised to do so. GAs AccommodationThe PSA invited Peter Johnson, the Director of Staffing at DET to attend the Interim Working Party meeting. At this meeting it became evident that there is a wide variety in the standard of work-station/shops that are made available to General Assistants. In the next newsletter we will enclose a survey on GAs Accommodation for you to answer.Merry XmasOn behalf of all of us at the PSA we wish you and your family the compliments of the season.
Sue Walsh
Kris Cruden
Caroline Staples
Contact Details Caroline Staples, Industrial Officer Ph: 02 9290 1555 Fax: 02 9262 1623  
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
| |
|     |
| |
| Social Change Online |  |
