Tax management aims to cut conditions
By Chris Slee
Australian Taxation Office (ATO) management has begun an attack on both the working conditions of its employees and their right to union representation.
Management's approach to a new agency agreement is outlined in an "Information Kit for Managers". Amongst the proposals or "options" in the document are: the abolition of annual increments; extended bandwidth for ordinary hours; extended shift work; cuts to accommodation standards, and to the number of tax offices; and "simplification" of rules governing the selection, recruitment and dismissal of staff.
Management refused to negotiate with the unions, but has belatedly agreed to "discussions". It seems to be aiming for an agreement with "staff", bypassing the unions, and is pushing for a staff vote via electronic mail. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has expressed concern about the fairness and confidentiality of such a vote.
With the expiry of the previous agency agreement on June 30, management announced that union delegates would no longer have the right to time off for union business, and their (limited) right to use ATO facilities for union business would be withdrawn.
The CPSU appealed against this decision in the Industrial Relations Commission, arguing that the clauses in the agency agreement on union rights should continue after June 30 (as do the clauses that benefit management). However, commissioner Larkin refused to issue a recommendation, partly because she expected that the ATO would ignore it, as it had three previous recommendations!