Australian Government - Royal Australian Mint

Annual Report 2007-08

• Table of Contents
• Financial Reports

Section 3 - Management & Accountability (continued)

Management of Human Resources

Staff morale has been positive across the Mint considering the change processes occurring as a result of the refurbishment project and subsequent closure of specified work areas. Although disruptive at times to employees normal working arrangements these changes have also provided a timely opportunity to address past shortcomings in training and development. The scheduled close down periods have enabled the rolling out of comprehensive staff training programs. These programs have been well received by staff.

Performance Development System

The Mint’s Performance Development System was reviewed by the CEO in consultation with focus groups to provide a transparent and objective system that is user friendly and aligns with the Mint’s Strategic Plan.

Training was provided to all staff concerning the implementation of the system. The training was judged a success and identified a few areas where we needed to further simplify the process. This has enabled a consistent application of the appraisal process across the organisation. Managers, supervisors and staff now have a better understanding of the relationship between the Strategic Plan, Operational Plans and individual plans.

Royal Australian Mint Union Collective Agreement and APS Values

The 2008–10 Royal Australian Mint Union Collective Agreement was negotiated under section 328 of the Workplace Relations Act 1996. A majority of staff voted on 4 July 2008 to accept the Agreement which is expected to take effect in August 2008.

Key features of the Agreement include:

• flexibility in working arrangements
• one week paternity leave
• closedown between Christmas and New Year
• four per cent pay increase on approval and a further four per cent twelve months later and
• a commitment to continued formal and informal consultation between management and employees

Workplace Relations

The Mint has a range of formal and informal consultative arrangements including the Mint Consultative Forum which meets regularly. The Consultative Forum is chaired by the CEO and comprises management and elected employee representatives, and representatives of the Community and Public Sector Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.

The Mint is committed to discussing workplace issues in a spirit of cooperation and trust, ensuring employees receive information on workplace issues affecting them, including business progress and the impacts of new programs. The agreement also allows scope for employees to contribute their views on these issues. This is particularly important in the current period of change within the Mint.

Recruitment and Succession Planning

The Mint continued to focus on recruitment and retention as a major strategy. Recruitment activity last year resulted in 36 promotions, 25 appointments and three non-ongoing staff converting to ongoing employees. This is an indication that the increased development opportunities offered to staff have improved our retention rate by enabling the Mint to promote and appoint staff from within the organisation.

The Mint will begin to realise its investment in its apprenticeship program later in 2008 when four of our apprentices can be considered for ongoing qualified trade positions. Our apprentices have also been recognised by the Canberra Institute of Technology for dedication to learning. One apprentice, Mr Anthony Palasrinne, has joined the Government’s initiative on the national 2008 Apprenticeship Roundtable discussions while another, Mr Adrian Boucher, won a scholarship from the NSW Business Chamber, participated in an exchange with the Royal Canadian Mint and an apprentice placement at the Australian National University.

We will continue to monitor and review our workforce plan to take account of future projected losses in key areas through retirement by increased training and where necessary specialised technical skilling of our staff.

Training

A training unit was set up in 2007–08 and initially addressed the immediate need for upgrading the skills of our staff to enable them to be competitive in securing ongoing positions in the Mint. The first round of the new Performance Development System in 2007 further identified corporate as well as individual development needs across the organisation. Training is an area of primary focus in the Mint. Among the training programs conducted in 2007–08 were courses on interview techniques, getting that selection right, presentation skills, report writing skills, project management, a program on leadership, basic and advanced computer training, strategic thinking, communication and negotiation, financial management, leading teams, policy formulation and many more. Staff attended a total of 846 training places during the year.

One of our success stories is the assessment and development of English as a Second Language training which was carried out over two weeks and addressed the specific requirements of this group of staff. Internal conversation classes have been developed as an extension of this ESL training, to enable staff to keep building on their knowledge. There has also been a variety of internal governance training courses that have been trialled and will now be conducted annually along with courses specific to new Mint employees.

The cost of training courses attended by Mint employees for 2007–08 was $456,564.

Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)

The Mint is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for employees, contractors and visitors. All reasonable steps are taken to control or eliminate hazards and minimise the risks associated with production and day to day activities.

In February 2008 the Mint engaged a consultant to undertake the annual OH&S audit against AS4801:2. The auditor noted that there had been some dramatic improvements in compliance, but while there had been many successes there was still room for improvement. The Mint continues to work toward compliance in all areas.

Workstation Assessments were provided for 22 staff during the year. Under our Collective Agreement 111 employees took advantage of the Mint’s Healthy Lifestyle Payment. This one-off annual payment is available to contribute to activities such as gym membership, quit smoking and similar activities which promote a healthy lifestyle.

Testing of staff for exposure to nickel, chromium and other heavy metals was completed and results were within normal limits. As part of the Mint’s Hearing Conservation Program, and to ensure legislative compliance, 99 staff had hearing tests. Additionally, free influenza vaccinations were made available to staff during the year.

Mint Health and Safety Representatives continue to fulfil a vital role in reviewing current work practices and actively promoting safe work practices across all areas of the Mint. They undertake regular workplace inspections to an agreed schedule.

There were a total of 23 First Aid attendances during the year. There were 30 Accident Reports and 102 Incident Reports this year. The increase in Incident Reports was contributed to an increase in staff awareness of OH&S reporting obligations and incidents associated with the refurbishment project. A comprehensive investigation was undertaken for all Accident and Incident reports. Remedial actions were taken where appropriate, and in some instances new work instructions were written.

There were six Workers Compensation Claims lodged of which five have been accepted and one is to be determined. These claims resulted in 49 lost time days.

The Mint has notified Comcare of eight dangerous occurrences. Comcare inspectors have investigated three occurrences and have issued a Do Not Disturb Notice and a Prohibition Notice. The notices were issued in relation to an incident during the movement of a press.

Staffing information

All staff are employed under the Public Service Act 1999.

The Mint operative and paid inoperative staff by classification and gender (at 30 June 2008)

The Mint operatives paid under the Agency Agreement and AWAs (at 30 June 2008)

Salary Ranges for Agency Agreement and AWAs (at 30 June 2008)

Total for all SES remuneration was $346,162 (excluding superannuation allowances)

Workplace Diversity

The Mint respects and appreciates the cultural diversity of its workforce. Forty one per cent of employees are from countries where English is not the spoken language and six per cent were born overseas in countries where English is the first language.

The Workplace Diversity Program continued to formalise the Mint’s commitment to ensuring employees in identified groups have fair access to recruitment, training and promotion opportunities. The Mint has a Mature Age Workforce Policy to provide measures that continue to support older staff who wish to remain in the workforce.

To assist employees in balancing work, family and other caring responsibilities, the Agency Agreement leave conditions allows employees to use their personal leave entitlements to care for immediate family members who are sick. Applications for part-time work are considered favourably. Flexible working hours are available to fit in with family commitments. Working from home is also offered to staff to balance work and family commitments.

There is also an additional entitlement of two weeks paid maternity leave. The maternity leave and the additional leave may be taken at half pay. The new Agreement includes an entitlement of one week paternity leave. Executive level employees are able to make use of flexible working hours in the same way as all other Mint employees.

Our current ESL training programs for staff reinforces our commitment to providing more opportunities for staff in this group to advance their careers.

Equal Employment Opportunity Target Groups

Disability Strategy

The Mint continued to support and encourage our disabled employees. The Mint maintained a relationship with disability support groups, especially in monitoring and supporting the special needs of one of our long-term employees. We address special needs on an individual basis and where necessary make adjustments to their working environment, for example, through modifications to workstations, access to special software, parking, and hours of duty, and specific job tasking. We also work with peak bodies, looking at developing strategies that support and encourage the employment of staff with disabilities.

The Mint’s website complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C), allowing customers to provide feedback, make inquiries and order Mint products via the internet.

The Mint fulfils its obligation under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 with regard to its tourist facility. The refurbishment of the Mint which is currently underway will provide facilities that meet the Mint’s obligations under the Act.