EEO: Annual Report-1996-Consultation | Equal Employment Opportunity Annual Report - 1996

Equal Employment Opportunity Annual Report – 1996 Consultation

Informing Employees

During the year staff were informed about a range of EEO-related issues through the internal distribution of material, Bank publications, Bank training courses and local management discussions. EEO segments were included in the Induction, Supervision and Management programs. Copies of the Bank's EEO Annual Report for 1994/95 were distributed to all staff, including new employees at induction sessions and women on parental leave. Branches and departments were asked to distribute their EEO plans to their staff.
The Bank's discrimination and harassment policy statement was incorporated into the Conduct of Employees section of the Staff Handbook which is available to all staff.
A video on the management of workplace harassment and a summary of equal opportunity legislation were distributed to all branches and departments during the year. Copies of two new booklets on selection procedures and parental leave were made available to staff. In Sydney, a directory for working parents on school holiday care options (prepared by the Finance Sector EEO Network) was also made available to interested staff. Data on the outcome of performance pay for the EEO groups were sent to departments and branches.
Throughout the year, individual staff members sought advice on issues such as flexible work arrangements, returning to work following parental leave, part-time work arrangements, training and development, age retirement, unfair treatment, harassment, and the recognition of same-sex partners.
The Health Centre in Head Office ran monthly health promotions and provided a range of information to staff and other Bank branches on health-related matters, including work and parenting issues. Several information brochures were available in a variety of languages.
The Bank's staff information sheet, Staff Matters, is produced periodically and distributed to all employees. During the year, it included items from the 1994/95 EEO Annual Report; the part-time work review; changes to superannuation arrangements for staff on leave without pay; and the Bank's investigation of employer-sponsored childcare. The Bank's monthly in-house staff magazine, Currency, also included items on a range of EEO-related issues. At NPA, a weekly newsheet, Staffline, continued to be distributed to all employees, keeping them abreast of the organisation's performance and a range of personnel-related matters.
Contact was maintained with the Bank's trainees to assist those from EEO groups with special needs and to provide support. Follow-up interviews were also held with graduate recruits to identify any support required.
Personnel Policy Department maintained a collection of EEO resources for use by staff including videos and publications.

Consultation with Trade Unions

Regular consultations with workplace unions were held in order to advance various items raised in their Productivity Bargaining Agreements (PBAs) with the Bank as well as other employment – related matters.

The Finance Sector Union (FSU) covers most Bank staff and the PBA for 1995/96 contains a number of important EEO-related matters. Items implemented include: carer's leave; payment of child care costs in certain overtime situations; changes to higher-duty arrangements to improve effectiveness as a training/development tool; procedures for managing poor performance; and standardisation of long service leave and superannuation aspects for those engaged in part-time work. Issues still under consideration include: guidelines for the engagement of casual staff and the possible replacement of the current age-based salary scale for base-level recruits. Also in progress with the FSU are discussions regarding a supported wage scheme for people with disabilities.
In addition to the consultation on industrial relations matters, union-nominated staff representatives also participated on various committees which consider issues within the Bank with relevance to EEO. These include the EEO Policy Committee, the Grievance Authority, the Officers' Superannuation Fund (OSF) Committee and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Committee.
At NPA, as part of the 1995 Enterprise Agreement, a Strategic Action Council has been established with Bank, union and staff representation, to consider a number of strategic and business issues, including the development and training needs of staff.