Union steps into row

By Ed Merrison
A WORKERS union representing Eastern Regional Libraries (ERL) employees has lodged a dispute against the library board for inadequate staff consultation ahead of a planned shake-up.
At the heart of the dispute is a draft roster proposing over 50 relocations for staff across the municipalities of Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah.
Library staff were sent an e-mail giving details of the reshuffle on Thursday, 13 July.
The complaint by the Australian Services Union (ASU) was lodged before Wednesday, 26 July, when a two-week submissions period came to an end.
Joining the ASU submission were over 15 from ERL staff complaining of a lack of reason, fairness and community awareness in the way the changes, due to be implemented on Monday, 14 August, were proposed.
“Basically, we’ve lodged a dispute with ERL because we don’t believe the consultation has been adequate,” ASU industrial officer Michelle Jackson said.
Ms Jackson believes the staff e-mail, which contained what ERL chief executive Joseph Cullen dubbed a draft roster, unfairly placed the onus on staff to respond to the proposed changes.
“It’s not really consultation if you’re saying you have to prove or justify why you don’t like this change rather than the management consulting with the employees,” Ms Jackson said.
Ms Jackson also objected to what she called a lack of evidence to explain why such sweeping changes were needed.
“One of (ERL’s) broad statements is about staff vacancies, but they haven’t demonstrated how this will solve the problem of staff vacancies because all you’re doing is shuffling staff. Once you move people from one area, vacancies appear in another,” she said.
Ms Jackson said she had personally spoken to about 15 employees opposed to the changes, but estimated that three quarters of those affected by the relocations had spoken to one or other of the union delegates.
Mr Cullen said he had received about nine submissions objecting to a specific change proposed by the roster and another eight or so relating to what he termed ‘the philosophy of the change’.
He said the submissions period had brought to light certain circumstances ERL had not been aware of and that some changes to the draft roster would have to be made.
One long-serving member, who wished to remain anonymous, accused Mr Cullen of being in damage control and said she was sure the changes would go ahead regardless.
“Mr Cullen says there was a draft roster, but that’s very misleading. It was put out as ‘This is your roster’. It was put out as a done deal, not a proposal,” she said.
“It would have been better to have consulted people first and found out what their circumstances are rather than making these changes and then finding out.”