Another wave of industrial action is on the horizon as Canberra-based staff from departments and agencies including Human Services, the Australian Tax Office (ATO), Immigration and Border Protection and Employment begin with a half-day strike and lunch-time rally on Tuesday September 15.
The the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) said the rally would be followed by more strikes and industrial action across the country in response to what it called the government’s “continuing attack on their [public servants’] rights, conditions and take-home pay”.
The union has said these strikes will affect service centres, call-centres, international airports, ports and a range of other public service workplaces although it is difficult to predict the extent or seriousness of the disruption.
The significant bout of industrial action is a barometer of the mounting frustration on both sides as Federal Employment Minister Eric Abetz and the CPSU negotiate a raft of enterprise agreements for a range of large government departments, including Human Services, ATO and Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).
DIBP staff will vote on their pay offer of 1.1 per cent a year next Tuesday and Human Services staff have until this Friday to vote on their pay offer of 1.5 per cent per year over three years, which also includes changes to part-time working and removing penalty rates from casual workers.
A spokesman for Mr Abetz said the CPSU’s 12.5 per cent wage claim was totally irresponsible and would cost 10,000 jobs.
“The CPSU should stop standing between public servants and the responsible and affordable pay rises on offer in the current low inflation environment,” the spokesperson said.
“The government has already been flexible. The CPSU has shown total inflexibility on their irresponsible 12.5 per cent wage claim which will cost 10,000 jobs.”
Asked what measures Mr Abetz would put in place to enable services to continue despite the strike, the spokesman said: “agencies affected by industrial action will implement contingency planning”.
CPSU National Secretary Nadine Flood said the union wanted to achieve a resolution and would continue to bargain on behalf of members.
“We are happy to meet with Senator Abetz – anytime, anywhere – but the Government seems more interested in grand-standing than finding sensible solutions,” Ms Flood said.
“These workers are facing nasty, low-ball agreements that strip important workplace rights and conditions from enterprise agreements. Under this policy, Border Protection workers stand to lose up to $8,000 in stripped allowances, while working parents in Centrelink and Medicare are being pushed to give up essential work and family protections and other rights.”
Ms Flood said that only a fraction of enterprise agreements covering 2 per cent of public sector workers had been agreed so far, despite more than a year of fitful bargaining.
“That figure alone shows the Abbott Government’s bargaining policy is simply not working and needs to change,” she said.
“Public sector workers are angry with a government that continues to denigrate the work they do and now wants to rip away their rights, conditions and take home pay.
“Over recent months we’ve seen unprecedented levels of industrial thousands by public sector workers. This will continue unless the Abbott government drops its attacks and sits down with the CPSU to try and find a common sense settlement.”
Widespread national strikes also occurred in June when CPSU members from a number of departments went out on strike including, Defence, Employment, Education, CSIRO and Human Services.
The post Public sector pay wars: Strikes to hit airports, service centres and ports appeared first on Government News.
source Government News http://ift.tt/1PYp7v9
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق