Campaign continues against cuts in ACT

By Sue Bull CANBERRA — The ACT Government Service Budget Disputes Committee of the Trades and Labour Council is finally ready to implement coordinated industrial action to oppose the Carnell government's budget cuts of September 19. At a meeting last week, delegates and officials agreed to coordinate rolling bans and stoppages. The bans will affect revenue and government administration. They are designed to have the maximum effect on the government while minimising inconvenience to the community. In Urban Services there will be no enforcement of parking fees, no collection of other revenue such as library book fines and no action on ministerial correspondence. Other actions include a "lock-in" by unions at the largest public works depot in Canberra on October 11. Personnel areas are supporting the industrial actions by not processing any pay deductions which occur because of stop-works or unauthorised absences. Personnel areas will also not be processing or answering queries in relation to redundancies. This could have a major effect on the government's target of cutting 3000 jobs. The dispute at the Belconnen Remand Centre has been temporarily resolved. Community and Public Sector Union members have returned to work on the condition that management implements a new roster which allows for higher staffing levels. Meanwhile ACT attorney general Gary Humphries, the minister responsible for Corrective Services, explained to a press conference that the most expensive feature of most prisons was security. If a prison system was harmonious, the work force could be reduced. He had visited privately run prisons and his impression was that they operated better than government prisons. Clearly, this is a preview of things to come.