Department of Employment staff set to reject pay offer in vote
Staff in the Federal Department of Employment are expected to reject an offer on pay and conditions, in a vote starting today.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) said after eight months of bargaining, the pay offer was the first federal staff agreement to go to a vote.
The CPSU said the proposed offer would remove workers' superannuation protections, make it harder for staff to progress to higher levels, increase working hours and cut 46 jobs.
It said the pay rise was 1.4 per cent over three years.
In November, a survey of more than 500 staff showed 96 per cent would not accept the offer.
The union expected that result to be carried over to the formal ballot which closes next Monday.
"This poll is further proof that the hardline bargaining policy that Minister Eric Abetz is pushing here in his own agency, and across the service, is simply unworkable and is leading to industrial unrest," CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said.
Ms Flood said all eyes would be on the vote.
"Given that Minister Abetz has carriage of workplace bargaining across the entire public service, a strong rejection of this deal by his own staff will be seen as an embarrassment," she said.
"The Government has an opportunity to sit down and discuss a sensible path to settlement. If the Government continues its vicious attack on rights, conditions and real wages it can expect an escalation of industrial action early next year."
There has been mounting industrial unrest across the 165,000-strong federal public service.
Staff at the Department of Human Services, which includes Centrelink and Medicare, will begin an initial round of low-level industrial action this Thursday, with staff at Veterans' Affairs expected to follow soon.
Around 1,800 staff work for the Department of Employment.
The Government promised to axe 16,500 public service positions over three years as part of its budget savings measures.
The previous workplace agreements for 165,000 public servants in more than 100 Commonwealth agencies expired on June 30, 2014.
