Queensland Public Sector Union
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| Queensland Public Sector Union of Employees | |
| Queensland Public Sector Union | |
| Members | 30 000 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Affiliation | ACTU QCU |
| Key people | Alex Scott |
| Office location | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Website | http://www.qpsu.org.au |
The Queensland Public Sector Union is an Australian trade union for most workers employed by the Queensland state government. The QPSU operates on an organising model, which entails making delegates and members more participatory in their industrial activism.
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[edit] Union Council and Delegates
The Union Council is the QPSU's peak decision making body. Every two years the electoral commission holds elections for Council delegates. Each delegate represents members in their agency to ensure all members have a say in their union. In addition, regional branch presidents are also automatically members of the Union Council to ensure the views union members throughout Queensland are represented. Union Council meets five times a year to consider policies and make decisions for the best interests of union members.
[edit] Union Structure
| Union Structure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Responsibilities | |
| Members | Persons eligible for membership granted by the constitution's rules of eligibility. Within this model members are the most important sector of the union, informing delegates of their concerns, ideas and strategies for improving workplace conditions. Members' active membership is essential in enterprise bargaining campaigns, wider public campaigns and for the strength of the union | |
| Delegates | Delegates are union members who were elected to be a workplace representative, to report and represent concerns of rank and file members to the Union and respective employing authorities. | |
| Union Council | These are delegates elected by the rank and file members of the union body to sit on council. Their role is to discuss, vote and decide on union constitutional matters and policy. | |
| Executive | General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary elected by council and members | |
| Delegate Support Unit | Specialist staff who liaise with delegates within their allocated departments. The DSU organise collective industrial action and are industrial officers for concerns which concern more than one member. | |
| Bargaining Team | A team of specialist industrial staff who negotiate enterprise bargaining agreements and other arbitration matters between members and the relevant departments of the Queensland Government. | |
| Organising Team | Organisers delegate encourage active membership, organise collective action and recruit new members though workplace meetings and inductions. | |
| Membership Services Centre | The area which industrial officers manage the toll free inbound call centre which manage member's individual industrial grievances. The officers undertake caseloads of members who have continuing industrial issues, who need industrial representation. This section of staff can enter workplaces to represent members. | |
| Information Support Unit - Creative/Communication Team | This unit also includes communications officers for media releases and media related inquiries, Union newsletter, Umail (emailed updates)and campaign material. | |
| Information Support Unit | Clerical staff which handle correspondence, administrative membership issues and financial membership issues. | |
| Organising Call Centre | An outbound call centre of non specialist casually employed staff whose role is surveying members on industrial issues and policy. This call centre is often subcontracted by other trade unions to perform similar tasks for their respective membership. | |
[edit] Organising Call Centre
The Queensland Public Sector Union was the first trade union in Australia to have an organising call centre (OCC) in 2003. The OCC contacts members after business hours to survey members on union matters. The call centre consists of 10 - 15 activists and university students, who have been trained to collect confidential survey information vital for Union activity.
[edit] ALP affiliation
The QPSU is not affiliated to the Australian Labor Party and therefore does not partake in state conferences with the ALP to maintain political neutrality. However, the QPSU typically supports the ALP due to labour policies which would benefit union members.
[edit] Campaigns
The QPSU has been involved in the Your Rights at Work campaign. The QPSU has also had campaigns specifically targeting departments under the Queensland State Government including; Queensland Department of Health, Queensland Department of Child Safety and Department of Disability Services Queensland.
