SA public sector pay dispute

By Melanie Sjoberg

ADELAIDE -- Industrial action is to disrupt the state public sector over the next few weeks because of workers' dissatisfaction with the state government's enterprise bargaining pay offer.

Clerical administrative, professional officers and weekly paid workers in most public sector agencies have been offered a 5% increase over the next two years. The Public Service Association and the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union have expressed disgust at the offer.

The PSA has argued for more than 12 months that the government must rectify anomalies created by agency-based enterprise bargaining. The government agreed to that in December 1997, but failed to implement it.

This would have provided increases for most public sector workers, bringing them parity with those in education.

Many departments have since renewed agreements, leaving the current offer looking thin. For example, many workers in the Department of Transport will not receive any increase because their rates are already higher than the offer.

The government has made a separate offer of 13% over three years to education workers (teachers, lecturers and support staff) which does not flow to other public servants in the education department.

PSA members are participating in workplace meetings over the next two weeks.

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