Managing MPB Staff Grievances 

One of the services provided by the Australian Principals Federation (APF) is to represent members at Merit Protection Board (MPB) hearings.  It is important that you contact the APF as soon as you find out that there has been a grievance lodged at the MPB. Early notification enables the APF to provide the best level of support for your response to a grievance.

Please be aware that you are able to contact the APF for advice when you learn that a grievance is being considered. Our experience in dealing with MPB grievances enables the APF to provide advice regarding the essential elements needed in your response.

The MPB process is primarily concerned with three aspects:

• Have you followed all relevant Department Policies and Guidelines as well as School Policies?
• Have you sought Departmental advice, and have you followed this advice?
• Is the decision demonstrably unfair?

The role of a principal is incredibly complex and the demands of the job mean that knowing every aspect of the VGSA 2022 and the Implementation Guidelines isn’t necessarily your top priority but having a good knowledge of these provisions will assist you in avoiding unnecessary MPB Hearings.

Some of the matters that are heard on a frequent basis relate to Temporary or Administrative transfers and grievances of a general personal nature such as translation from Fixed Term to On Going, Probation, leave requests and complaints. 

Relevant information on Temporary Transfers from the MPB Senior Chairperson, Steve Metcalfe, is contained later in this article.

You can readily access the relevant Policies and Guidelines via the Department’s Policy and Advisory Library.   You will need to include a copy of the relevant policy(s) and guidelines in your response to the MPB.

Given that the MPB will require evidence that you followed due process, it is essential that you provide full documentation. If you are ever in doubt about whether or not to create a formal record, the advice is to definitely document  and organise the relevant information into a coherent format. This is particularly important when dealing with matters related to Complaints, Misconduct, Unsatisfactory Performance and Annulling Probation as the MPB will require details of how you managed the issue. 

As soon as possible after contacting the APF for support, please forward all the relevant information including any communication from the MPB, a copy of the actual grievance and all relevant emails, letters or diary notes and entries. It is becoming common for the MPB to seek information to help them decide whether or not the grievance will need to proceed to an MPB Hearing.

The APF aims to provide you with the support that will lead to you obtaining a favourable outcome. However, sometimes the best advice is to resolve that matter at the local level  particularly when there is little prospect of winning the case because decisions are not consistent with Departmental Policy or Guidelines.