As reported in SITREP 6/16 and SITREP 17/16, the Union has made its dissatisfaction with the Department’s current position on blood testing clear, demanding that members be afforded point in time blood tests for future reference, given the present uncertainty regarding the effects of PFOS/PFOA exposure. The Department has now responded, referring the matter to NSW Health and the Environmental Health Expert Advisory Panel for further review this coming Monday. For a copy of the correspondence click here with more to follow next week.
Department’s annual leave errors continue
The Union continues to take inquiries from members who have had annual leave deducted from their balances when they haven’t actually taken leave. The amounts incorrectly deducted have been substantial, over 300 hours in some cases. Whilst the Union has rectified the balances of members who have contacted us, the expectation is that this is a wider problem with the Department’s payroll processes and that more members have been affected.
In particular, it seems that when a member has undertaken a temporary swap of annual leave group the Department has deducted both the scheduled leave group and the swapped leave group. As ever, check your payslips and if something looks awry, contact the Union office for assistance.
Privacy breach, at it again
The Union is pursuing the Department in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) over their breach of privacy laws when they improperly disclosed a members’ personal and health information within FRNSW in relation to his workers compensation claim.
This is not the first time that the Union has pursued the Department for privacy breaches. In 2005 the Department was prosecuted for a breach of privacy when it released a retained members records to their primary employer. More to follow.
Union’s Annual Toast, a success
This year’s Rex Threlfo Annual Toast (RTAT) was a roaring success. I was proud to see our retiring members spend last Tuesday afternoon with over two hundred serving and retired, permanent and retained, FBEU members. The Threlfo family also attended, as did Commissioner Greg Mullins. The event was what we promised – short on speeches, big on friendship and solidarity. See you all next year!
Darin Sullivan
President and Acting State Secretary
For a printable copy of this SITREP, please click here.
