ID :
202149
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 14:21
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/202149
The shortlink copeid
Airport delays expected with DAFF strike
SYDNEY (AAP) - Passengers on inbound international flights face delays on Friday as Quarantine staff down tools after pay talks with the government broke down.
And there are indications their industrial action could spread across the public service.
Talks between the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the Community and Public Sector Union and Fair Work Australia over enterprise bargaining have stalled, prompting industrial action on Friday from 6am until 10am.
Commonwealth Public Sector Union (CPSU) national secretary Nadine Flood said the department had refused to improve its current offer to DAFF employees of three per cent rises annually.
It was clear that the federal government's three per cent pay cap on public sector agreements was preventing departments from having genuine negotiations with staff, Ms Flood said.
"Despite our best attempts today, discussions failed to resolve the pay issue," the union leader said in a statement on Thursday.
"We would urge people collecting inbound international passengers tomorrow morning to factor possible delays into their plans."
Cargo inspections, the release of imported goods and the x-ray of international mail is expected to be disrupted because of the work stoppage.
Ms Flood said DAFF staff had been driven to take action because of a lack of progress on negotiations and a refusal by the government to offer a pay deal that won't leave staff worse off.
"We know things are tight but what quarantine service people are saying is they don't want to go backwards and lose existing rights," she told AAP.
The industrial action could intensify across the public service as discontent grows with failure to strike new agreements after they expired on June 30.
"If there isn't a shift in view from the department and the government, we will see more industrial action by DAFF and other federal government agencies," Ms Flood said.
"That is regrettable and it would be more sensible to sit down and work something out."
More than 80,000 public servants have voted to reject the government's pay offers and this is set to grow to 120,000 with the Department of Human Services likely to reject a similar pay offer.
"There is a real problem in the public service," Ms Flood said.
Quarantine staff had frontline roles in protecting Australia's border and would not accept sub-standard agreements that devalued their work.
"They have a tough, dirty and often dangerous job and they deserve a reasonable pay rise," Ms Flood said.
The most recent inflation figures showed the Consumer Price Index was 3.6 per cent and the Analytic Living Cost Index rose by 4.5 per cent over the year to June.
And there are indications their industrial action could spread across the public service.
Talks between the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the Community and Public Sector Union and Fair Work Australia over enterprise bargaining have stalled, prompting industrial action on Friday from 6am until 10am.
Commonwealth Public Sector Union (CPSU) national secretary Nadine Flood said the department had refused to improve its current offer to DAFF employees of three per cent rises annually.
It was clear that the federal government's three per cent pay cap on public sector agreements was preventing departments from having genuine negotiations with staff, Ms Flood said.
"Despite our best attempts today, discussions failed to resolve the pay issue," the union leader said in a statement on Thursday.
"We would urge people collecting inbound international passengers tomorrow morning to factor possible delays into their plans."
Cargo inspections, the release of imported goods and the x-ray of international mail is expected to be disrupted because of the work stoppage.
Ms Flood said DAFF staff had been driven to take action because of a lack of progress on negotiations and a refusal by the government to offer a pay deal that won't leave staff worse off.
"We know things are tight but what quarantine service people are saying is they don't want to go backwards and lose existing rights," she told AAP.
The industrial action could intensify across the public service as discontent grows with failure to strike new agreements after they expired on June 30.
"If there isn't a shift in view from the department and the government, we will see more industrial action by DAFF and other federal government agencies," Ms Flood said.
"That is regrettable and it would be more sensible to sit down and work something out."
More than 80,000 public servants have voted to reject the government's pay offers and this is set to grow to 120,000 with the Department of Human Services likely to reject a similar pay offer.
"There is a real problem in the public service," Ms Flood said.
Quarantine staff had frontline roles in protecting Australia's border and would not accept sub-standard agreements that devalued their work.
"They have a tough, dirty and often dangerous job and they deserve a reasonable pay rise," Ms Flood said.
The most recent inflation figures showed the Consumer Price Index was 3.6 per cent and the Analytic Living Cost Index rose by 4.5 per cent over the year to June.
