A half-day strike by NSW public servants planned for October 22 has been called off after the Barry O’Farrell government agreed to meet with the NSW Public Service Association (PSA) to discuss the union’s concerns about the high number of redundancies being implemented across the public service.
The PSA central council voted on October 14 to put industrial action on hold pending talks with the NSW government about the axing of 15,000 public sector jobs over four years and concerns about the new Government Sector Employment Act.
In July, central council delegates voted for a half-day stop work action in response to ongoing attacks on public service jobs and conditions.
On October 14, PSA general secretary Anne Gardiner presented central council with the results of a survey of approximately 150 delegates and activists showing a majority wanted the planned action to be postponed in light of the government’s offer to meet with the union.
The resolution for strike action in July followed a resolution at the PSA annual conference in May calling for an industrial and political campaign to fight back against the state government’s attacks on jobs and conditions.
Gardiner was elected head of the PSA in November last year after leading the Progressive PSA (PPSA) reform ticket to victory, defeating the long serving incumbent leader John Cahill and winning control of the union for the PPSA.
The PPSA stood on a platform of accountability and transparency in decision making and building a stronger union by increasing the capacity for industrial action.
This year Gardiner, also a member of the Greens, has distanced herself from the PPSA caucus and has chosen to operate independently.
No new date for a strike has been determined in the event that talks with the Government prove fruitless. However, it is expected there will be renewed calls for industrial action from militant delegates at the next central council meeting on November 11.