Bombshell twist in public servants’ open revolt against WFH decree by Chris Minns’ NSW government – as PSA union makes a stunning declaration

The Public Service Union has openly rebelled against the New South Wales Premier’s decision to ban public sector workers from working from home, defiantly telling members that ‘pre-Covid arrangements’ will ‘never return’.

Chris Minns announced Monday that work-from-home arrangements will end for the majority of the state’s 430,000 federal workers.

The Public Service Association (PSA) said in an email to members on Monday that it had been inundated with questions about the Prime Minister’s directive, saying it was confident staff would “never” return to the old arrangements.

“Your union firmly believes that there will always be flexibility in the workplace and that we will never return to pre-COVID working arrangements,” the email said.

As evidence of this, the PSA indicated that it had been in contact with a number of secretaries of New South Wales government departments.

“They have informed us that many office locations cannot accommodate all of the staff working on site and that current arrangements will not change,” the email said.

The union said it was also mobilising delegates to gather members’ concerns.

“The more information we have from our members to give to the government the better,” it said, with a promise to pass on “further developments” to members.

Earlier, Stewart Little, general secretary of the Public Service Association, confirmed that the union would help members affected by the new government regulations.

“While we recognise that many of our members do not have the option to work from home, the PSA has always been committed to flexible working arrangements,” the union said in a statement.

‘This means that, where possible, those who do not need to be present at a specific location should work from home.

‘The PSA also understands that some workplaces may not be able to physically accommodate all employees at the same time.

‘Any PSA member who has issues with flexible working arrangements, including working from home, will receive support from their union.’

An email sent by the Public Service Association to its union members had a challenging tone

Several government officials told Daily Mail Australia that the work-from-home culture is deeply ingrained in their workplaces, with some employees living far from their workplaces, sometimes even far away.

“There’s a guy in my department who lives in Noosa. He’s been working remotely all week – I’m looking forward to him coming back into the office tomorrow,” a senior government official sarcastically told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Another one lives in Sydney, but I’ve never met her. I can’t wait to meet her.’

A second anonymous government official stressed that there is a lack of physical workspaces for all employees currently working from home.

“While there should be a requirement to come into the office more often, two or three days a week, our offices cannot accommodate this number of people,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘We currently have to book desks two weeks in advance because Tuesdays are so busy. We can’t really control whether teams have to work on a different day because it depends on work and family flexibility.’

The public service union is mapping its members’ concerns to report to the government as it opposes a blanket decision to end working from home (stock image)

Some job applications promised employees a “hybrid” workplace.

“Our jobs were advertised as hybrid roles and we promote a hybrid workplace to increase flexibility and create a good work-life balance,” the employee added.

‘Going to the office five days a week is unfeasible for people who live two hours away from the office.’