By Reihana Mohideen
Community and Public Sector Union members have begun a national campaign in defence of jobs and conditions.
The strongest action planned so far is an ACT branch stoppage called by the executive for May 8. The stoppage, a week before the May 13 federal budget, coincides with a national day of action called by the student movement and endorsed by the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union.
The CPSU branch executive has called on all members "to attend the march and rally in solidarity with the NTEU". The executive is considering further industrial action, including a 24-hour stoppage, to be discussed at the next cross-agency delegates' meeting.
The CPSU national leadership has called for state-by-state rolling stoppages, which began on May 2 in Victoria. Members are walking off the job two hours before the end of a standard day or their shift.
The NSW branch leadership has asked members to organise sausage sizzles or come in to the union office for discussions and refreshments. In Queensland, workplace meetings will be held to vote on a proposal for a four-hour stop-work to allow CPSU members to attend budget protest rallies on May 13.
The militant CPSU rank and file group, National Challenge, has argued that these actions fall well short of the type of campaign necessary to stop the government's attacks on the public service. It circulated a national statement calling for the following proposals to be put to May 12 workplace meetings:
- <~>that a 24-hour stoppage be held as soon as practicable after the federal budget;
- <~>that the campaign to be conducted via mass meetings of members; and
- <~> that the union set up campaign committees in each centre open to all CPSU members.
National Challenge also called on state branch executives to adopt this approach at a state level if the union's national management committee rejects such a course of action.