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NLA 35th Annual Report 1994-95


Appendix 1: Staffing Overview


National Library staff are employed under the Public Service Act, 1922. At 30 June 1995 the Library had 515 permanent staff and 46 temporary staff. The average staffing level for 1994-95 in full-time and part-time staff years is given in Table 23. Table 24 shows permanent staff by classification at 30 June 1995. Part-time positions have been converted to full-time equivalents. Table 25 gives detailed Equal Employment Opportunity data.

  • Staff Training
  • Performance Pay
  • Industrial Democracy
  • Workplace Bargaining
  • Occupational Health and Safety

[IMAGE]
Henry William Pickersgill, 1782–1875
Portrait of Robert Brown 1837?
oil on canvas; 91.5 x 71.2 cm
This portrait was acquired for the Library's Pictorial collection in September 1994.

Table 23: Staffing level (in average staff years)


                                      1993-94              1994-95        
                                 Full-time Part-time Full-time  Part-time 

Executive                             9.98         0     26.53          0 
Collections and Reader              272.96     10.10    265.24      12.88 
Services                                                                  
Services to Libraries                84.10      1.39     86.73       2.84 
Cultural and Educational             46.76      2.10     50.81       6.75 
Services                                                                  
Corporate Services                  127.15      2.10    112.82       1.83 
Total                               541.04     15.69    542.13       24.3 

Table 24: Staff by Australian Public Service classifications and by sex at 30 June 1995


                          Male             Female           Total         
Designation               FT   PT  Total   FT   PT  Total   FT   PT  Total 

Statutory office holder    1    0      1    0    0      0    1    0      1 
Senior Executive Service   6    0      6    2    0      2    8    0      8 
Senior officers           17    0     17    5    0      5   22    0     22 
Professional staff        39  0.8   39.8  108  6.2  114.2  147    7    154 
(Senior Professional
Officer & Professional
Officer)                                                                         
ASO staff                108  2.3  110.3  199 13.3  212.3  307 15.6  322.6 
Technical & related        4    0      4    4    0      4    8    0      8 
staff                                                                    
Information Technology    18    0     18    6    0      6   24    0     24 
Officer staff                                                                    
Other                      4  0.6    4.6    0    0      0    4  0.6    4.6 
Total                    197  3.7  200.7  324 19.5  343.5  521 23.2  544.2 
This table is based on permanent paid positions and includes inoperatives.

Table 25: Staff by EEO groups and APS classifications at 30 June 1995


                                                                          Staff  
                                                                          with   
                                                                          EEO    
                            M    F   Total  ATSI   PWD    NESB1   NESB2   dataa  

Statutory Office Holder     1          1                                      
Senior Executive Service    5    1     6            1                       4 
Senior Professional        14   30    44            3       2       2      39 
Officers                                                                      
Professional Officer 2     17   40    57            4       3       4      46 
Professional Officer 1      9   53    62            2       9       5      43 
Senior Officers            15    4    19            2       1       1      14 
Administrative Service     12    8    20            4                      14 
Officer 6                                                                     
Administrative Service      9   11    20                    3       2      18 
Officer 5                                                                     
Administrative Service      5   15    20            1       1       1      17 
Officer 4                                                                     
Administrative Service     14   46    60     1      4       7       8      57 
Officer 3                                                                     
Administrative Service     39   98   137           11      34       9     102 
Officer 2                                                                     
Administrative Service     13   23    36     1      4       5       5      25 
Officer 1                                                                     
Senior Information         10   2     12                    5       1      10 
Technology Officers                                                           
Information Technology      7   4     11                    2       1       6 
Officer 2                                                                     
Technical & related staff   6   5     11            1       3       1       7 
Other                      12   1     13            2       2       1       8 
                                                                              
Total                     188 341    529     2     39      77      41     410 

This table excludes paid inoperative staff and temporary staff. The total number of staff therefore differs from that shown in Table 24.
a Data for EEO groups are based on permanent staff who have voluntarily supplied EEO data.
ATSI: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
PWD: People with disabilities
NESB1: Non-English-speaking background, first generation
NESB2: Non-English-speaking background, second generation

Staff Training

Staff undertook a range of training provided within and outside the Library. The number of person days spent in formal training by permanent officers is shown in the following table.

Table 26: Training days


Classification                              Female    Male      Total      

Senior Executive Service                     37        73        110        
Senior Officer Grade A-C                     25        83        108        
Senior Officer Grade A-C equivalent         325       164        489        
Administrative Service Officer 5-6          115        95        210        
Administrative Service Officer 5-6          571       225        796        
equivalent                                                                 
Administrative Service Officer 1-4          748       289       1037       
Administrative Service Officer 1-4            5         0          5          
equivalent                                                                 

Total                                       1826      929       2755       

In addition, the Library provided study assistance in the form of time off during working hours to attend compulsory activities for approved students undertaking further education. The following table shows the number of training days approved under the Studies Assistance Scheme.

Table 27: Study assistance (person days)


Classification                              Female    Male      Total      
  
Senior Executive Service                      0         0         0          
Senior Officer Grade A-C                      0         0         0          
Senior Officer Grade A-C equivalent          30         0        30         
Administrative Service Officer 5-6           32        10        42         
Administrative Service Officer 5-6            0        64        64         
equivalent                                                                 
Administrative Service Officer 1-4          221        86       307        
Administrative Service Officer 1-4           21         1        22         
equivalent                                                                 

Total                                       304       161       465        

Performance Pay

A total of 75 payments for the cycle ending on 30 June 1994 were made to Senior Officers in 1994-95, with three other officers being rated at levels which precluded any payment. Five of the six eligible SES staff received payments from a total pool of $A41 300. The tables below indicate quantum and distribution.

Table 28: Senior Executive Service


Grading                         3              4        5               
Number of payments             1.33           3.25      -               
Performance pay (for 12      $A7 654        $A9 568     -               
months)                                                                 
NB: Band 2 Officer treated as 1.25 of a person (based on ratio of maximum payments) and performance pay calculated as 1.25 of payment made to Band 1 officers of same rating.

Table 29: Senior Officer Grade A-B - Total pool: $A131 000


Grading                             3         4          5     
Number of payments                16.50     11.00        -     
Performance pay (for 12         $A4 411    $A5 293       -     
months)                                                        

Table 30: Senior Officer Grade C - Total pool: $A70 500


Grading                             3         4          5     
Number of payments                27.58     11.92      1.00    
Performance pay (for 12          $1 625    $1 950     $2 438   
months)                                                        

A second review of the Performance Pay arrangements was undertaken resulting in the adoption of more generic agreements centring on core competencies. The Senior Officer competencies published by the Public Service Commission form the basis of the 1995-96 agreements for both Senior Officers and Senior Executive Service staff.

The Corporate Management Group also decided to amend the cycle period which now runs from May to April. The 1994-95 cycle was completed on 28 April 1995 and payments are expected to be made in July.

Industrial Democracy

The National Library Consultative Council, the peak body for joint management and union consultations, is a forum for industrial democracy discussion in the Library. The Council is chaired on a rotating basis by the Director-General and the National Library representative of the Community and Public Sector Union. The Council's membership and terms of reference are given below. The Council meets four times per year. A draft Industrial Democracy Plan is the subject of ongoing consultation with the relevant unions.

National Library Consultative Council

Chair (rotating):
Mr Warren Horton, National Library
Mr Tom Ruthven, National Library, CPSU Professional Division representative

Members:
Dr Warwick Cathro, National Library
Ms Jan Fullerton, National Library
Mr David Toll, National Library

Union Representatives:
Ms Rosemary Webb, Federal Industrial Officer, CPSU Professional Division (to June 1995)
Ms Leanne Jacobs, Industrial Organiser, CPSU (from June 1995)
Ms Leanne McKay, National Library, CPSU representative

Resource Management Advisers:
Mr Graham Still, Director, Resource Management Branch, National Library
Mr Murray Willmott, Human Resource Management, National Library

Secretary:
Mr Brian McIntosh, National Library

Terms of reference:
The roles of the Council shall be:

  • to serve as a consultative forum;
  • to further industrial democracy in the National Library of Australia;
  • to achieve participation by officers and employees through their union in the decision-making processes of the Library;
  • to provide a forum for consultation and open discussion between management and staff representatives, and to aim to resolve any differences on those matters in a mutually acceptable manner;
  • to improve mutual understanding of management and staff issues;
  • to promote good industrial relations in the Library;
  • to facilitate mutual exchange of information.

Workplace Bargaining

The Library continued negotiations under the established participative workplace bargaining process. Unions involved were the Automotive, Food, Metals and Engineering Union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, and the Community and Public Sector Union. Although negotiations were satisfactory, the agreement was not concluded. It was overtaken by the public service wide wages agreement. The Library expects to commence another round of negotiations in 1995-96.

Occupational Health and Safety

Extensive consultation was undertaken in the review of the Library's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Agreement. The document has reached a final draft stage. A Screen-Based Equipment Policy was issued and work continued on the development of policies in relation to approved Codes of Practice.

The OHS Committee received training on OHS issues and was involved in issues ranging from asbestos management to policy development. The number of designated workgroups was varied during the year. Currently there are nine. Health and safety representatives and deputies were selected according to legislative provisions.

The Library made 18 notifications to Comcare Australia under Section 68 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act, 1991. Seventeen of these incidents resulted in five or more working days' incapacity. The other related to the notification of the discovery of asbestos in the air-conditioning ductwork as a dangerous occurrence.

At the end of March the Community and Public Sector Union requested Comcare to conduct an investigation under the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 due to its concern over the Library's handling of the asbestos issue. The investigation is yet to be completed; to date, Comcare has stated that the Library is meeting its duty of care and taking all reasonable and practical steps in dealing with this issue.


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