Advertisement

Public servants plan strike

Toni Walkington. Picture: Dione Davidson/The West Australian

WA's biggest public sector union is bracing for its first Statewide strike in a decade as its members grow increasingly frustrated with the State Government's refusal to offer a better pay deal.

The Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association has rejected the Government's offer of 2.5 per cent each year for three years and is "seriously considering" a 24-hour strike on May 28.

On Tuesday, delegates voted in favour of a strike and the rest of the union's 15,500 members will vote over the next two weeks.

The Government yesterday condemned the proposed strike, saying WA's public servants were among Australia's highest paid.

CPSU/CSA branch secretary Toni Walkington said its members wanted the Government to honour its pre-election commitment of keeping public sector wages in line with inflation.

She said members would not take the decision lightly but they wanted to send a strong message to the Government.

She hoped the Government would improve its offer to at least 3.1 per cent to prevent a strike.

"The Government has been arrogant in not providing an offer that meets the cost of living," Ms Walkington said.

She said if the strike went ahead, it would disrupt key services such as child protection and supervision in detention centres.

Negotiations involve almost 40,000 clerical, administrative and professional public servants.

The union claims Perth's CPI is 3.1 per cent but the Government says it is 2.5.

A spokeswoman for Commerce Minister Michael Mischin said the Government's offer was in line with its wages policy, which limited public sector rises to inflation as projected by Treasury.

The call for a strike was "inappropriate" because the union had only been available to meet once in the past six weeks, she said.