July 4, 2009
Issue
A draft agency agreement proposed by Australian Taxation Office (ATO) management has been endorsed by a staff vote. An announcement made on June 30 said 56% of votes were cast in support of the agreement.
The Community and Public Sector Union, the main union representing ATO workers, had campaigned for a "no" vote because the agreement cuts working conditions and does not guarantee job security.
It cuts personal leave from 18 days a year for all workers to 17 days for permanent workers and 12 for workers on temporary contracts. It also deprives temporary workers of overtime pay before 9pm.
However the Australian Services Union helped management to sell the agreement. It denied that there were any "arbitrary" cuts to conditions.