CPSU prepares for action in the ACT

CPSU prepares for action in the ACT

By Francis Geraldson

CANBERRA — The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has notified the Australian Industrial Relations Commission of its intention to bargain with the ACT government. This allows the union, under the Workplace Relations Act, to initiate protected industrial action if necessary.

Tim Gooden, ACT government section secretary, said, "The negotiation process that the government has undertaken over the last three months is turning into a shambles.

"With 33 separate negotiations started, and more to come, the government is attempting to carry out its common agenda across the whole [ACT public] service in a typical bureaucratic fashion.

"It is so hell bent on more sackings that it is prepared to waste public money on expensive consultants, who will benefit from a long dispute."

Gooden asked, "If [Chief Minister Kate] Carnell claims the 'worst is over', why is she so desperate to implement forced redundancies?".

A meeting of union members in the health department on October 3 discussed their response to the government's announcement that the department will try to negotiate a non-union agreement with staff.

Gooden said: "The health department has decided to exclude the union, completely disregarding its staff's wishes. The only reason it would do that is to leave the staff defenceless as it attempts to reduce conditions and cut jobs."

He concluded, "If the ACT government continues to act like its federal counterparts, it will cause industrial disruption" because "the CPSU will not stand by and allow public services in Canberra to be destroyed."

From GLW issue 336