AUG 06, 2015
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has called on Senator Eric Abetz to change his approach to public service bargaining following the strong rejection of a sub-standard office by staff at the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
The ballot showed 77.31% of eligible employees participated in the ballot with 71.1% voting 'No'.
CPSU Assistant National Secretary Michael Tull said: “Infrastructure workers have rejected this substandard offer because it would have ripped away their rights and conditions in exchange for a pay rise that was actually a pay cut."
“This result is another nail in the coffin of the Abbott Government’s flawed bargaining policy. How many more agreements need to be voted down by staff before the Minister gets the message? His policy is not working for the vast majority of APS staff and it time to sit down with the union to discuss a better way forward.
“Only one in five Infrastructure staff are union members so Minister Abetz may need to change his line that the CPSU needs to ‘stop standing between public servants and the realistic and affordable wage rises.’”
“The Infrastructure result is further evidence that it is actually his bargaining policy, rather than the CPSU, which is preventing new agreements being made.
“We call on Minister Abetz to see this strong rejection not so much as a defeat, but rather as an opportunity to recast his flawed policy. Staff and management want to be able to finalise these long overdue agreements and get back to focussing on the main game, which is providing high quality service, support and policy for the Australian community.
“It is regrettable that Minister Abetz has refused to meet with the CPSU for more than 18 months to resolve this issue.
“However our door remains open and we would be happy to sit down and discuss a way forward any time he is ready,” Mr Tull said.
The result comes a day after the CPSU released polling data showing Department of Human Services staff are also intending to compressively reject their substandard agreement when it is put to a vote shortly.
The result also follows strike action on Monday by staff at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Department of Agriculture which caused significant delays at international airports.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has called on Senator Eric Abetz to change his approach to public service bargaining following the strong rejection of a sub-standard office by staff at the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
The ballot showed 77.31% of eligible employees participated in the ballot with 71.1% voting 'No'.
CPSU Assistant National Secretary Michael Tull said: “Infrastructure workers have rejected this substandard offer because it would have ripped away their rights and conditions in exchange for a pay rise that was actually a pay cut."
“This result is another nail in the coffin of the Abbott Government’s flawed bargaining policy. How many more agreements need to be voted down by staff before the Minister gets the message? His policy is not working for the vast majority of APS staff and it time to sit down with the union to discuss a better way forward.
“Only one in five Infrastructure staff are union members so Minister Abetz may need to change his line that the CPSU needs to ‘stop standing between public servants and the realistic and affordable wage rises.’”
“The Infrastructure result is further evidence that it is actually his bargaining policy, rather than the CPSU, which is preventing new agreements being made.
“We call on Minister Abetz to see this strong rejection not so much as a defeat, but rather as an opportunity to recast his flawed policy. Staff and management want to be able to finalise these long overdue agreements and get back to focussing on the main game, which is providing high quality service, support and policy for the Australian community.
“It is regrettable that Minister Abetz has refused to meet with the CPSU for more than 18 months to resolve this issue.
“However our door remains open and we would be happy to sit down and discuss a way forward any time he is ready,” Mr Tull said.
The result comes a day after the CPSU released polling data showing Department of Human Services staff are also intending to compressively reject their substandard agreement when it is put to a vote shortly.
The result also follows strike action on Monday by staff at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Department of Agriculture which caused significant delays at international airports.
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