Tax jobs ‘spill’ a monumental waste

Date: 14 August 2003

Shock, confusion and anger swept through Tax Offices around Australia following news that more 800 ATO Operations staff will be forced to undergo psychological testing and reapply for their jobs.

Operations staff, 70% of whom are women, perform a wide range of vital administrative functions including client contact, collections, records management and lodgements. They earn around $35,000 a year and are located in most large tax offices around the country.

CPSU spokesperson Shane O'Connell, branded the decision "wasteful, hurtful and unnecessary."

"Based on recent selections in other parts of the office, we estimate the cost of this exercise will be between $2000 and $4000 per head. That is a huge pile of money that would be better spent delivering services to taxpayers," he said.

According O'Connell ATO staff are "deeply shocked" by the announcement.

"There are a lot of very upset workers out there at the moment. Many have been with the ATO ten years or more. They regularly go through rigorous performance assessments. To be told, out the blue, that you may no longer be the sort of person the ATO wants, is deeply affronting.

"Tax senior management seem obsessed with delivering some sort of 'big-bang' cultural change. They believe, incorrectly, that this class of worker is resistant to change. The opposite is true. Over the last few years tax workers have successfully delivered a move to self-assessment, the introduction of the GST, tax modernisation, de-centralisation, re-centralisation and countless internal re-organisations," O'Connell added.

The union is particularly concerned about ATO management's preference for using psychological testing as a factor in the selection process.

"Based on this pointless and wasteful decision, you'd have to say its not this end of the Tax Office that needs its head read, it's senior management," O'Connell said.

The CPSU is providing immediate support for distressed staff and will be working closely with members to plan a way forward.

"We are examining the details the ATO proposals carefully and meeting with management again next week. We will be looking closely at how this proposal sits in relation to current industrial agreements," he said.

For comment:
Shane O'Connell 0418 304 953
Michael Tull 0418 557 380

For further information

Contact:	Shane O’Connell
Union:	CPSU - National Office
Phone:	0418 304 953

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