Legal Aid Grants dispute – Open Office Plan
21 November 2018
Legal Aid Grants dispute – Open Office Plan – November 2018 (PDF version)
Thank you to all the members who attended last week’s É«ÀÇÉçÇømeeting.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøconfirms that as a result of our meeting with the Director of Grants and the Director of POD, Legal Aid has agreed to the following:
- No job losses
- No building work to begin until the new year
- A commitment from Legal Aid to increase the availability of flexible working arrangements and a pilot program in Grants
- Confirmation that the current office plan issued in the change management document is an example rather than a final plan
- A commitment to continue meeting with the É«ÀÇÉçÇøabout the matter.
However;
- The Grants Director has refused to allow a É«ÀÇÉçÇørepresentative on the open office plan working party. The É«ÀÇÉçÇøhas asked for this twice and been refused twice. Across Legal Aid there É«ÀÇÉçÇørepresentatives involved in similar committees and working parties. That the Grants Director no longer supports this arrangement is a serious concern which we will take up with the CEO.
- There remains no genuine justification for an open office plan.
- Legal Aid has not provided evidence or detail about why the move to an open plan office is necessary (particularly considering the number of empty desks currently available on the floor). When the É«ÀÇÉçÇøquestioned the Director of Grants, she stated that ‘collaboration and cultural change’ would be facilitated by an open office plan. There was no further explanation.
- Rather, it has been well established that open plan offices increase stress, disruptions, distractions and noise. These Work, Health and Safety issues will be exacerbated with what currently appears to be a dramatic reduction in future desk sizes – by almost a half.
Issues surrounding delegations for Grants Office are still being followed up with Legal Aid.
Members will be updated as the matter progresses. A meeting with Grants staff will also be organised in due course.
Members can contact É«ÀÇÉçÇødelegate Justin Hutchinson, or É«ÀÇÉçÇøstaff to provide further information and ask questions.
Your É«ÀÇÉçÇøstaff
Monika Wunderlin – Industrial Officer
What can you do?
- Ask a work colleague join the É«ÀÇÉçÇøtoday
- Distribute this bulletin to colleagues
- Attend É«ÀÇÉçÇømeetings at your worksite
- Get involved become a É«ÀÇÉçÇøDelegate
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