ACT government back-flip on pay deal

By Tim Gooden

CANBERRA -- When ACT unions arrived at the Australian Industrial Relations Commission on May 9, they thought they were about to ratify across-government-services enterprise agreements. Instead they were confronted with individual agency agreements, which left-wing unions like the Community and Public Sector Union have always opposed.

The government's back-flip had been supported by right-wing unions such as the Australian Workers' Union. The CPSU, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and the Australian Metal Workers Union (AMWU) are outraged at the government's two-faced approach to industrial relations.

Commissioner Holmes of the AIRC indicated that he is willing to ratify agency agreements when the commission sits again in two weeks. However, left-wing unions will consider industrial action rather than ratify agency agreements which would ultimately weaken solidarity and undermine working conditions.

The AMWU has initiated bans, and the CPSU is convening a full delegates' meeting on May 14. Government workers are now threatened by attacks from Liberal governments on the one hand and back-stabbing from right-wing unions on the other.

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