7.4 Major Change

Major change occurs where the University makes a decision (including a decision in principle to introduce major changes in production, program, organisation, structure or technology (including introduction or review of University-initiated AI systems) that are likely to have significant effects on employees. The University will notify and consult with the employees who may be affected by the proposed major change. Significant effects on employees include:

1. termination of employment;

2. major changes in the composition, operation or size of the University’s workforce or skills it requires (not

   including reporting line changes);

3. the elimination or diminution of job opportunities, promotion opportunities or job tenure;

4. the alteration of hours of work;

5. the need for retraining or transfer of its employees to other work or locations; and

6. significant restructuring of jobs across an entire faculty, division, school or equivalent sized organisational unit.

A decision to replace employees with contractors or third-party providers (outsourcing jobs) is a major change for the purposes of this clause.

The University will consult affected employees informally via a Case for Change before the development of a Draft Change Proposal (DCP) and ask employees their views about how proposed expected outcomes might be achieved.

Once the University has determined to proceed with formal Major Change it will provide relevant information about the change to affected employees in a DCP. The DCP will include information about:

1. The proposed change to occur;

2. The rationale for the change and the expected outcomes;

3. The anticipated effects on employees, including potential benefits or possible adverse effects, if any;

4. How changed work will be performed and distributed between positions (including proposed classifications and job titles) and employees in the future including the anticipated effects on employees in other work units; inclusive of current and potential organisational charts;

5. Where redundancies are proposed, the work that will no longer be required to be performed by anyone, and the work that will continue to be performed by other employees;

6. Suggestions for avoiding or mitigating any potentially adverse effects on employees;

7. The anticipated timeframe for consultation and implementation;

8. The impact on the gender profile of the work unit;

9. the impact of any proposed or reviewed use of AI systems (if applicable)

10. Any other relevant information.

A consultation meeting will be held with affected employees, addressing the DCP within five (5) working days of providing the above information to employees. Following notification to the Chief People Officer, directly affected union members will be entitled to hold a union meeting in working time to discuss the DCP. This meeting of union members will be held at a time that causes minimal work disruption.

The University will seek feedback from affected employees and will consider any input from the University workplace community, employee representatives and the Unions when considering the DCP; including whether to proceed with the proposed change, (either in its original or a revised form). The University will promptly and genuinely consider any responses received from affected employees, Employee Representatives and the Unions during the consultation period.

Where employees’ positions are proposed to be made redundant, the University will invite submissions from

employees, Employee Representatives and Unions on options to mitigate job loss through:

1. Proposals to transfer within the University;

2. The taking of leave, early retirement, fixed-term pre-retirement contracts, or part-time employment and/or job sharing; and

3. Expressions of interest in taking a voluntary redundancy.

Following the consultation period, the University will provide a copy of the Final Change Plan (FCP) to employees, Employee Representatives and the Unions. The FCP will include responses to all feedback submissions received during consultation on the DCP. On release of the FCP, the University may declare an employee’s position to be redundant because the University decides that it no longer wishes the job/duties that the employee has been doing to be done by anyone at that campus or location, and this is not due to the ordinary and customary turnover of labour.

The University will conduct a post-implementation review appropriate to the change, including of the effectiveness of consultation under this clause, any workload intensification or increase to be remedied for professional employees, and any action required in accordance with the application of the academic workload limitations of sub-clause 4.2(a), and whether the expected outcomes for the change were achieved, within six (6) to twelve (12) months after the Final Change Plan implementation. Employees who were directly affected by the change will have the opportunity to participate in the post-implementation review. The review findings and employee feedback will be discussed at an ACUSCC meeting.