By Jim McIlroy

BRISBANE -- The campaign by Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members in Centrelink, the federal government's new “one-stop shop” services delivery agency, for improvements in a draft agency agreement, is coming to a crunch.

Following widespread industrial action by union members on September 24, talks between Centrelink management and union officials produced some gains, but left many members still deeply unhappy.

Mark Gepp, CPSU section secretary covering the Centrelink area, published a union bulletin on October 10 stating: “Three months of negotiations between CPSU and Centrelink management have seen great improvements in the wages and conditions now on offer to you in Centrelink. The negotiators now have a draft agreement which satisfies the most important parts of our original claim.”

CPSU National Challenge -- a network of union activists which spearheaded a rank-and-file campaign to demand strong industrial action against the Howard government's assault on the public service -- disagrees.

A CPSU National Challenge statement headed, “Not Good Enough” states: “On balance, although improvements have been made on the previous draft, the agreement remains unacceptable. The pay offer is not sufficient compensation for the major concessions we are being asked to make.”

The statement cites the loss of the previous Department of Social Security and Student Assistance Centres' Wednesday afternoon office closures as a major concession to management, restricting whole-office meeting time and increasing pressure on staff. Extending office opening hours and work on public holidays is “possibly the most significant concession staff would be making in this agreement”, the statement says.

Although “voluntary” in the first instance, “By accepting this agreement we are in reality opening the door to Centrelink management's stated aim of a permanent expansion of the agency's opening hours”, the statement points out.

Other important issues include regulated hours of duty, restricting access to flexitime; no limits on permanent part-time work; and recruitment through private employment agencies. A particular concern for Centrelink's teleservice centre staff is the new “productivity improvement program” in the agreement.

In return for all this, pay rises totalling some 4% for the 12-month life of the agreement, still remain subject to productivity increases, for individual offices and Centrelink as a whole.

The National Challenge statement continues: “An all-staff vote is scheduled for November 11. Without union endorsement management know they could very well lose this vote.

“We can win a better deal and further gains if we stand firm. Moreover, once this agreement is certified, the Workplace Relations Act prohibits further action for its duration. We must make sure we get the best possible deal now ... Vote No to this draft.”

[Jim McIlroy is a CPSU delegate at a Centrelink Teleservice Centre in Brisbane.]

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