The second phase of the Pearce inquiry into bullying, harassment and unreasonable behaviour at CSIRO is well underway. But what are the implications for misconduct and grievance procedures?

While the second phase of the investigation confidentially examines individual cases in greater detail, work is already underway in CSIRO examining the effectiveness of current procedures in place to deal with allegations of bullying and harassment.

Human Resources management have been closely consulting with Staff Association representatives, especially concerning the operation of grievance procedures and misconduct processes.

The grievance procedure currently sits within the Enterprise Agreement, meaning that any changes to this process or its application will need to occur during negotiations.

However, arrangements to deal with misconduct are classified as CSIRO policy and currently sit outside the Enterprise Agreement and bargaining process. The inclusion of misconduct processes in the agreement may be prioritised during negotiations.

Staff Association representatives will continue to advocate for a revised package of processes that combine and streamline existing grievance and misconduct processes – and can be negotiated as part of the upcoming Enterprise Agreement.

Bargaining survey out now 

CSIRO employees are encouraged to complete the Staff Association’s bargaining survey, which will form the basis of the union’s priorities for upcoming agreement negotiations.