CPSU New South Wales

31/12/2025

18/12/2025

𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐅𝐅 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐘

Yesterday CPSU NSW delegate Lisa Simmons gave evidence at the Upper House Inquiry into the University Sector. The inquiry is shining a light on the need for greater transparency, accountability and governance across the sector as well as the overuse of consultants.

Our dedicated professional staff delegates have been supporting members through major job cuts across the sector. Without Professional Staff there is no student experience and the CPSU NSW has been calling on both the state and federal government to make real change in the sector which should be run for the improvement of their communities and Australia.

You can read more about these issues and what the CPSU NSW has been doing to combat them in Red Tape magazine available now at www.redtapemagazine.com.au

JOIN THE CPSU NSW at www.cpsunsw.org.au

18/12/2025

𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

Aruma Brighton SIL meeting yesterday with members regarding their master roster changes and consultation.

Many Aruma workers face casual or part-time contracts, fluctuating hours and pressure to accept split shifts with unpaid gaps

In roster reviews Union members are supported with securing predictable hours where possible, equitable and fair distribution of shifts attracting penalties, and helping members to manage their work-life balance where rosters change.

Individually, some workers feel they must “take what they’re given”. This is why Aruma disability workers need a strong union. CPSU NSW is that Union for you.

Often, the work requires extensive skills and expertise, is hard, and mostly undervalued. Funding pressures can sometimes push risk onto workers detracting from the support that can be provided to participants.

Safety, pay and job security depend on collective power.

The CPSU NSW protects members so they can focus on supporting people with disability safely, respectfully and sustainably.

United, we are stronger together!

If you're not a CPSU NSW union member, JOIN TODAY!

www.cpsunsw.orga.u

15/12/2025

ACTU statement on Bondi Beach terror attack

12/12/2025

𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 & 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑?

Whether you're an employee counting down the days until your break, or an employer trying to keep a business open over Christmas — what are the rules about working these holidays?

And if your workplace shuts over the holiday period, can you or your staff be made to use up leave?

Here's what the law says.

𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬?

Your boss must ask you.

If you're an employee, you have a legal entitlement not to work on a public holiday. If your boss asks you to work, you can say no if you have a reasonable reason to refuse the request.

The employer's request for you to work also has to be reasonable – for instance, if they're running an emergency room, which needs to be open 24/7. But the employee's personal circumstances are relevant too.

There was an important court ruling about this earlier this month.

Mining giant BHP was ordered to pay 85 miners $A84,000 in compensation, after it made them work Christmas and Boxing Day in 2019 without giving them a chance to say no.

Among the miners forced to work was a single mother without family help, who said she had to go to "demeaning and heartbreaking" lengths to find a babysitter for her two daughters, 11 and 15, on Christmas Day.

What that court case made clear is that rostering people on, then expecting or even suggesting that's the end of the matter, does not meet the requirements of the Fair Work Act.

If you're the employer, you need to have a conversation about it, or produce a draft roster, with employees given the opportunity to indicate if they would not like to work. You can't just roster and forget it.

Whether you're an employee counting down the days until your break, or an employer trying to keep a business open over Christmas — what are the rules about working these holidays?

11/12/2025

𝐂𝐏𝐒𝐔 𝐍𝐒𝐖 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 – 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Disability Delegates from across the NSW disability sector convene four times a year to share stories, celebrate victories and plan for the year ahead.

Care of people with a disability and ensuring the staff who support them earn a decent wage are two sides of the same coin and the Disability Sector Delegates Council supports CPSU NSW in striving for better pay and conditions.

While it has been a busy year with all the disability sector providers, there is still more work to be done.

On behalf of the Disability Sector Delegates Council, seasons greetings from your Delegates. Many of you will give up your personal time with your friends and families to continue to provide support to the most vulnerable members of the community are in our thoughts.

05/12/2025

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐅𝐅 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

Our HERC delegates met yesterday to discuss the current landscape across NSW universities and to map out our priorities moving into 2026.

Across the sector, members continue to navigate change proposals, restructures, funding pressures and workplace challenges but our delegates are ensuring professional staff voices remain front and centre.

We received an update on our recent meeting with Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, where CPSU NSW reinforced the critical role of professional staff in delivering quality higher education, raised concerns about insecure work and workload pressures, and pushed for stronger protections in national policy settings.

Enterprise Bargaining continues across multiple universities, with delegates reporting steady progress on key claims including job security, fair workloads, and improved conditions. We’ll be entering 2026 with coordinated bargaining strategies and a renewed focus on sector-wide standards.

Finally, we began shaping our 2026 plan: strengthening delegate networks, improving communication across campuses, and preparing for another year of advocacy and member-led wins.

“There is no student experience without Professional Staff” said HERC Chair, Shelley Odewahn.

PHOTO: WSU Delegate Scott Pendlebury celebrates his retirement.

04/12/2025

𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

While acknowledging the importance of International Day of People with Disability, the Aruma Delegates Council met to advocate for the maintenance of Aruma staff wages and conditions going forward.

Care of people with a disability and ensuring the staff who support them earn a decent wage are two sides of the same coin.

The Aruma DC strongly supported CPSU NSW to continue to oppose cuts to wages and conditions as enterprise bargaining continues.

PHOTO: Aruma DC with Nicole Jess, PSA President and CPSU NSW Industrial Team.

25/11/2025

𝐔𝐒𝐘𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐅𝐅 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒' 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

CPSU NSW members at Westmead Campus got together recently to discuss several issues - frequent restructures and role instability, rapid workload escalation without a workload model, career ceilings linked to HEW bands - that University of Sydney Professional Staff are facing as 2025 comes to a close.

It is vitally important the Professional Staff have an autonomous voice on campus and in all negotiations with the university.

PHOTO (L-R): Norton Roughley , Tama Woodbury and Grant Wheeler (Branch President)

If you'd like to know more or you have any questions please contact:
Mike Galvez CPSU NSW Industrial Officer mgalvez@psa.asn.au
Jose Vasquez, CPSU NSW Organiser jvasquez@psa.asn.au

JOIN at www.cpsunsw.org.au