By Melanie Sjoberg
ADELAIDE — More than 1000 members of the Public Service Association rallied on the steps of Parliament House on November 23 to protest the state government's lousy wages offer.
PSA general secretary Jan McMahon said that with massive restructuring and job reductions across the public sector, PSA members have had put in extra effort to maintain services, but are not being rewarded for the efficiencies.
PSA members overwhelmingly rejected the government's 5% salary offer and decided to continue a campaign of work to rule, and maintain bans on ministers and other industrial action. This was reinforced by decisions made at a work-site representatives meeting on November 26.
On November 27, PSA members in the Land Titles Office walked off the job for two hours.
The government has circulated memos to departments threatening loss of pay for unionists who have bans in place. Some managers have told staff not to wear the campaign stickers or display material on their desks. There is no legal basis for campaign material to be prohibited.
More than 12 months ago, the PSA demanded the government reinstitute wage parity across the public sector. Significant distortions have been created by different enterprise bargains from agency based agreements.
The government agreed to increase pay rises before Christmas 1997, but then offered only a 4% salary increase in April 1998.
The government has now presented public servants with an offer of parity and a 5% salary increase over the next two years. Most PSA members view this as inadequate, as they have made some gains in later agency based agreements.
The government has already signed an agreement to increase police pay by 13.5% and offered a section of education department workers 13%. But its offer to the public sector would leave department of transport workers at the level of administrative service officer 1, 2 and 3 without any increase for the life of the agreement. PSA members in education are being offered only 5%, while Australian Education Union (AEU) members in schools and TAFE are being offered 13% over the next three years.
On November 23, the AEU tabled what it described as a "serious compromise" — a salary increase of 10% over two years with the balance of the government funding going to staffing. All state school principals' associations have said the government should accept the proposal.
The government has refused to negotiate. The AEU is planning a half-day stoppage on December 4.