Serco Sodexo Defence Services (SSDS) strives to be an employer of choice in the Defence contracting industry. We work to foster an atmosphere of mutual trust, mutual benefits, harmony and respect amongst our employees and the customers we serve. We want to create, develop and lead highly motivated competent teams and individuals who have appropriate skills within long term sustainable employment opportunities.
Our Industrial Relations (IR) practices are designed to ensure the delivery of the best outcomes for our business and our people. Our practices, policies and industrial instruments comply with applicable legislation and reflect contemporary industry standards. We employ people under fair, reasonable and market competitive terms and conditions. Our employment practices operate to ensure our business objectives are met and the company continues to grow and prosper.
It is Company policy to recognise all parties in the employee and industrial relations framework whether for communications or negotiations related to IR. We engage and encourage consultation with our employees and employee representative groups. SSDS recognises the role played by employee representatives in communicating and supporting employee interests within SSDS and supports the continued right of employees to retain the assistance of representation in Industrial processes.
• ensure equality of opportunity, respect the rights of the individual and foster partnership and trust, in every working relationship
• provide employees with a voice and a say in their terms and conditions of employment
• engage in genuine consultation with employees and employee representative groups
• identify and develop our leaders to have positive, productive and respectful relationships with employees and ensure continuity of all core business capabilities
• training standards which enhance employee development in areas of skills and competence, workplace health and safety and quality service delivery
• foster a strong diversity and inclusion culture within our workforce
• define and regularly review individual and team roles, responsibilities and accountabilities
• select and recruit high quality people
• operate within a working environment that promotes work life balance where employees enjoy good jobs with sufficient hours, fair pay and conditions and a safe workplace
• reward and regularly review individual performance
• report, record and respond to staff grievances in accordance with defined procedures
• respect the principles of freedom of association; therefore employees have free choice in whether or not to join a union
Committed employees and stable industrial relations are crucial to the consistent delivery of high quality services. They are a major factor in maintaining the confidence of customers and end users, giving us a significant advantage in winning and renewing business. We work constructively with trade unions to develop and maintain positive relationships. The decision on what industrial instruments will be used in the SSDS business will be dependent on the instrument being the best to meet the needs of our employees, key stakeholders and ensure the long term sustainable growth of the Company. These industrial instruments will also include SSDS ethos of open door policies and consulting directly with our employees and their representative groups as much as possible.
• Employees are free to exercise choice in whether to take up membership of the relevant trade union that represents their category of employment.
• It is the personal responsibility of individuals to determine whether or not they wish to join a representative trade union; no person may coerce an employee to join or not join a registered trade union.
• Within reasonable time limits regarding access to worksites, SSDS recognises the right of union delegates to inform:
- Employees at the workplace of union services
- Discuss matters relevant to SSDS workplaces with employees and/or management
- SSDS expects respectful relationships between SSDS managment and union officials and trade unions will be recognised as having appropriate jurisdiction within our business.
Our aim is to build effective partnerships with all stakeholders that deliver real improvements to business performance, terms and conditions of employment and employee involvement. Because of our distinctive business structure and national presence, we work with a variety of employment policies which reflect practice in different states and territories. They cover issues such as equal opportunity, ethics, compliance with human rights, handling grievances and discipline, dealing with bullying and harassment and drug and alcohol abuse. They have been summarised in our Employee and Subcontractors Handbooks, which are distributed to all employees and subcontracting personnel at induction.