The Department's Answer to Your Workload and ATL Forfeiture: "Trust Us."

Yesterday, your union delegates sat across the table from the department for another round of bargaining. We tabled your concerns. We pushed on what matters most. And on two of the biggest issues facing members right now — workloads and ATL forfeiture— the department's answer was the same.

Trust us. The intent is there.

What happened on workloads

Members have been clear from the start of this campaign: workloads are out of control. So your delegates have been pushing hard for a genuine workload management tool — something real and enforceable in the agreement.

The department's proposal? A "framework." Not a tool. A framework that commits to a future working group, a future review, and future guidance from the Public Service Commission.

For Child Safety members, it's actually worse than that. The department floated the idea of removing the existing workload tool — the one you already have. We pushed back immediately. Your delegates made clear that Together is not asking for the tool to be removed. We've asked the department to reconsider.

Their position is that a tool "doesn't work in all situations." That flexibility is better.

When management says they want flexibility on your workload, that means flexibility for them — not for you.

What happened on ATL in Youth Justice

For Youth Justice members, ATL forfeiture has been a live issue throughout this campaign. We know the data. Accrued time is being lost, not being taken, and workers are burning out carrying it.

The department's response to fixing ATL? An awareness campaign.

That's it. They want to "promote" ATL. Develop resources. Run some education. They are not supporting ATL payout. They are not putting hard rights in the agreement.

They are asking you to trust that if managers are better educated about ATL, the problem will fix itself. It won't. Members know that. Your delegates know that. And we made that clear at the table.

Where things stand

A number of claims were progressed yesterday. But the big ones — cultural supervision, cultural loading, remote and regional incentices, psychosocial safety, progression — are all still on the table.

What you can do right now

Talk to your colleagues. Let them know what the department is offering and what we're fighting for. The strongest thing we have at the table isn't the legal arguments — it's members who are engaged, informed, and ready to back each other up.