Australian workplace relations department to replace short-term call centre staff

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations plans to replace 13 short-term contact-centre staff with a third-party contractor after the workers reached the maximum period allowed for short-term contracts, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) says. The union said the department intended to let the workers go rather than offer permanent employment and that at least one worker was approached by a third-party provider to effectively reapply for their job.

The department acknowledged the roles were "core work" that the government had committed to stop outsourcing from the Australian Public Service (APS). A DEWR spokesperson said the department was meant to prioritise APS employees for core work but that the "limited use of labour hire" staff was allowed, and that all contact centre workers receive comparable pay and conditions, including the same training, support and flexible working arrangements.

DEWR has already filled about 55 positions with employees provided by external companies, a workforce the government and the union both describe as "labour hire." One affected worker told Guardian Australia they were "gobsmacked and disappointed" and said they often took calls from vulnerable people waiting for government payments.

The worker said 30 other positions in the DEWR contact centre were outsourced last year and that this had coincided with call wait times rising from about 20 minutes to 2.5 hours or more.

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