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CPSU members at Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet vote for industrial action
By Phillip Thomson
More than 600 union members at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet could soon strike for up to 24 hours.
Community and Public Sector Union members at PM&C have voted in favour of industrial action.
Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Nadine Flood says the latest PM&C offer does not make up for the pay increases lost during drawn-out negotiations. Credit: Jamila Toderas
The result increases the disruption at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's department.
An enterprise agreement offer put to staff recently was resoundingly voted down, while PM&C's workforce faces cuts to staff numbers in the coming months.
About 200 full-time equivalent positions will be cut from a workforce of 2324 permanent, part-time and casual employees.
The protected action ballot of Community and Public Sector Union members at PM&C closed on Thursday. Seventy per cent of eligible CPSU members voted in the ballot.
More than 90 per cent of those who voted backed a range of actions from work bans to 24-hour strikes.
PM&C was in the process of putting together another enterprise agreement offer after the federal government softened its bargaining policy to allow for pay increases of up to 2 per cent a year.
CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said this was a small shift and did not make up for the pay increases lost during drawn-out bargaining negotiations.
"To resolve this impasse they need to drop the attacks on rights and conditions with a bit of recognition that their 18-month wage freeze makes 2 per cent look pretty ordinary," Ms Flood said.
"PM&C staff have had to deal with the government's unfair and unworkable bargaining policy at the same time as they've had to cope with major restructuring that's brought together workers from 10 separate agencies who are all on different terms and conditions.
"They will now be able to respond to that unreasonable extra pressure by taking industrial action."
A PM&C spokesperson said the department was committed to negotiating the best deal possible for staff.
"We respect the right of staff to take protected industrial action and we hope to come to an agreement as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.