PSA fights for a member’s job: and wins.

When Transport for NSW (TfNSW) PSA member Brittini Veilo was told her position was to be abolished, she went to her union delegate.

The delegate, Rachel Knight, got straight into action.

“She explained her story to me,” said Ms Knight. “Her role had been abolished. She was a grade 5, acting as a 9 and had done so for nearly two years. We spoke about her history as an Aboriginal cadet.

“She went through the Transport-led program for two years, and then eight years after that, had worked her way up into the acting grade 9 role.

“Then suddenly one day, her position, her substantive role of a grade 5 is abolished.”

Ms Knight knew Ms Veilo had a case.

“We held many meetings just discussing the new team structure,” said Ms Knight. “She was very upset and worried about her family. She had two children since she’d started work at Transport.”

Ms Veilo said she appreciated the advice from her delegate.

“I contacted Rachel just to see where I stood and if the union could help me,” she said. “From the get go, Rachel provided a lot of advice and helped me get through the right channels and what to do.”

The abolition of Ms Veilo’s role contrasted to the way she had been used in TfNSW promotional material.

“They’d used her as a poster girl in National Indigenous Television articles and also in the Koori Mail,” said Ms Knight.

Ms Knight said the pathway offered by the grade 5 job was ideal for members such as Ms Veilo.

“One of the arguments we used was that, how can people coming into the government work their way up if they haven’t had the privilege of going to university and starting up at a higher grade?” she said. “That step of grading up has created some wonderful careers for people who maybe otherwise wouldn’t be able to get further up the ladder.

“I’m glad to say that after five months, when the consultation went to determination, that her position or a similar grade 5 position had been created. They also created, I think, four other grade 5 positions.

“So there was a career step for people coming into Transport. I believe she would not have been able to retain that position without the union.”

Ms Knight said the case also exposed some gaps in programs aimed at getting Aboriginal workers into positions with TfNSW.

“There is a lot of information on Departmental websites and the Premier’s Department websites, which makes you think that Aboriginal people are considered in every decision,” she said. “Transport can’t even tell me how many Aboriginal people they have working for them or designated pathways. They don’t appear to have been a consideration in the restructure.”