Winning any union campaign, means building support in the workplace. This will not change under Labor.
The election of the Rudd Government presents both opportunities and challenges for CPSU members and supporters over 2008, writes CPSU National Secretary, Stephen Jones.
The CPSU is looking forward to establishing a professional and positive working relationship with the Rudd Government.
But we also recognise there will be many issues on which the union and Government will have different views which will need to be worked through.
As always, our focus will be on winning the best possible outcome for the members we represent, regardless of who the Government is.
The success of any CPSU campaign is always determined by the strength of our arguments, and the level of support we can generate in the workpace and the community.
This will not change under a Labor administration.
The way the Rudd Government deals with its own workforce and their union representatives will set an example to the rest of the employer community. The Government has a unique opportunity to demonstrate real leadership in this area and show how a model employer should act.
We are keen to turn Labor's pre-election commitment to good faith bargaining into a workable framework in Public Service negotiations, and we have already made some progress in that area.
While the end of WorkChoices is a positive development for Australian workers, the CPSU will be working with the ACTU to hold the Rudd Government to account in terms of delivering a better set of workplace laws.
Key issues for the CPSU in 2008 will include:
continuing to achieve strong pay and conditions outcomes for CPSU members
the right to negotiate a union collective agreement where a majority of employees want one
reasonable access to union support and advice in the workplace
fair transition arrangements for people currently on AWAs
access to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the independent umpire
ensuring the APS has decent workers' compensation arrangements
With your strong support, CPSU members won new union collective agreements in Customs, ACT Government and more than 40 other agencies last year.
Negotiations for new agreements in the Child Support Agency and the Northern Territory Government are underway right now, and we will see big campaigns in the Australian Taxation Office, Telstra, Centrelink, Defence and many other agencies.
The latest Trends in Federal Enterprise Bargaining report shows a stark difference between union-negotiated agreements and non-union agreements. Union collective agreements made in the last quarter averaged a 4.4% increase, while employee collective agreements achieved a 3.7% increase.
The figures prove, yet again, that it pays to be a union member and that public servants are getting above average pay increases.
Comments(5)
Posted by:JWH - 23 Feb 2008, 2:39pm
Howard cut 15000 public servant positions in 1995. It happens every change of government and when the new government starts implementing its agenda (May Budget 08 perhaps??) they recruit? Silly?? Little comfort to those 2000 who face the chopping block this year. Good luck to anyone trying to lodge a form or ring Centrelink.......going to be an even longer wait !
Posted by:PJ - 23 Feb 2008, 9:54am
Hmmm, looking at the key issues for 2008, there is no mention of staff retrenchments. No surprise there I guess.
When Rudd announced that he would be cutting Public Service numbers during the election campaign, the union really didn't put up much of a fight. I guess they had their head in the sand hoping for the best, they were just so desperate to get Labor back in. Well you got your way.
So what are you going to do for the 2000 Centrelink staff who will be retrenched? So far there has just been some ringing of hands - oh no you can't do that, it's just not right.
I have worked for 22 years. After 11 years I was retrenched due to Labor Party policy (privatisation of the Commonwealth Bank), now after another 11 years, I face the possibility of retrenchment again as the result of Labor Party policy(and this is a very real possibility, as I am at NSO. Last time around, the union I was in was very ineffective, and it looks like this union is just as ineffective.
It seems that if there is any protection for staff, it will be those in the front line services. What will you be doing to protect those of us behind the scenes?
Posted by:Anon - 13 Feb 2008, 7:26pm
We are hardly off to a good start in terms of better industrial relations under the Labor Government. The new Ministerial team seems to have incredibly unrealistic expectations in relation to availability of departmental staff. I have heard that many (or all) departments are required to have their EL staff at work by 6:30am during sitting periods. Since we are not able to access flex time or additional duty. Our CA conditions are so loosely worded that they can be completely ignored and we don't have a leg to stand on, because the Minister's are dictating crazy 'operational requirements.'
Posted by:Jim of Centrelink - 7 Feb 2008, 11:33am
I understand what AQIS is saying, but I don't think that such sector-wide bargaining will occur again (or not for a long time) as dept- or agency-specific agreements are too well entrenched. What I would like to urge CPSU to do is to start negotiations EARLY, and to not let the executive of each agency (Centrelink in my case) stuff them around. Regrettably, delays by Centrelink executive (under the grounds of "communicating with employees") seems to happen regularly in agreement negotiations now, and thus the implementation of the agreement is delayed by months. Inevitably, despite the agency-caused delay, there is no backdating of the agreement and thus staff end up missing out on months worth of potential payrises - and the agency gets to tell govt that it has saved $X million dollars in salary costs. Therefore, start early and bargain hard!
Posted by:AQIS - 4 Feb 2008, 1:11pm
The CPSU as a priority needs to pursue 'one agreement' for public servants NOT agency by agency as now exists. Employees rights have been greatly eroded due to these agency agreements and although rights are supposedly 'there in theory' are non existent 'in practice'. Not worth the paper they are written on. With 'one agreement' the union would have some power to uphold conditions etc (something in my experience, it is incapable of doing currently.) Perhaps then members would regain some fairness and equity and the union could more successfully pursue the isuues other individuals have raised in this comments section. Oh and yes there are some union members who would be delighted if Mr Rudd made cuts in the public service. There is a shocking waste of money in the department I work for and besides that I and others would be delighted for the opportunity of redundancy package's.
Howard cut 15000 public servant positions in 1995. It happens every change of government and when the new government starts implementing its agenda (May Budget 08 perhaps??) they recruit? Silly?? Little comfort to those 2000 who face the chopping block this year. Good luck to anyone trying to lodge a form or ring Centrelink.......going to be an even longer wait !
Hmmm, looking at the key issues for 2008, there is no mention of staff retrenchments. No surprise there I guess.
When Rudd announced that he would be cutting Public Service numbers during the election campaign, the union really didn't put up much of a fight. I guess they had their head in the sand hoping for the best, they were just so desperate to get Labor back in. Well you got your way.
So what are you going to do for the 2000 Centrelink staff who will be retrenched? So far there has just been some ringing of hands - oh no you can't do that, it's just not right.
I have worked for 22 years. After 11 years I was retrenched due to Labor Party policy (privatisation of the Commonwealth Bank), now after another 11 years, I face the possibility of retrenchment again as the result of Labor Party policy(and this is a very real possibility, as I am at NSO. Last time around, the union I was in was very ineffective, and it looks like this union is just as ineffective.
It seems that if there is any protection for staff, it will be those in the front line services. What will you be doing to protect those of us behind the scenes?
We are hardly off to a good start in terms of better industrial relations under the Labor Government. The new Ministerial team seems to have incredibly unrealistic expectations in relation to availability of departmental staff. I have heard that many (or all) departments are required to have their EL staff at work by 6:30am during sitting periods. Since we are not able to access flex time or additional duty. Our CA conditions are so loosely worded that they can be completely ignored and we don't have a leg to stand on, because the Minister's are dictating crazy 'operational requirements.'
I understand what AQIS is saying, but I don't think that such sector-wide bargaining will occur again (or not for a long time) as dept- or agency-specific agreements are too well entrenched.
What I would like to urge CPSU to do is to start negotiations EARLY, and to not let the executive of each agency (Centrelink in my case) stuff them around.
Regrettably, delays by Centrelink executive (under the grounds of "communicating with employees") seems to happen regularly in agreement negotiations now, and thus the implementation of the agreement is delayed by months. Inevitably, despite the agency-caused delay, there is no backdating of the agreement and thus staff end up missing out on months worth of potential payrises - and the agency gets to tell govt that it has saved $X million dollars in salary costs.
Therefore, start early and bargain hard!
The CPSU as a priority needs to pursue 'one agreement' for public servants NOT agency by agency as now exists. Employees rights have been greatly eroded due to these agency agreements and although rights are supposedly 'there in theory' are non existent 'in practice'. Not worth the paper they are written on. With 'one agreement' the union would have some power to uphold conditions etc (something in my experience, it is incapable of doing currently.) Perhaps then members would regain some fairness and equity and the union could more successfully pursue the isuues other individuals have raised in this comments section. Oh and yes there are some union members who would be delighted if Mr Rudd made cuts in the public service. There is a shocking waste of money in the department I work for and besides that I and others would be delighted for the opportunity of redundancy package's.