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Agenda for change

Over the next few months, CPSU members around Australia are joining together to build a new agenda for change.

CPSU members, wherever they work, are at the forefront of Australia's response to the significant challenges of the decade. These challenges include

  • global warming
  • health reform
  • skills
  • education
  • workplace relations
  • indigenous disadvantage
  • telecommunications and
  • infrastructure.

But do we have the right mix of skills, people, and support to make a real difference?

What you can do

CPSU members around Australia are joining together to build a new agenda for change. You can download the Agenda for Change discussion paper here. This is the beginning of a long-term conversation with workers in our industries about the things that really matter. While continuing to focus on the "core business" of improving members' pay and conditions, we want to explore options for tackling longer-term issues such as:

  • maintaining a skilled workforce in a tight labour market
  • managing the imminent baby-boomer exodus
  • protecting and promoting the value of the public sector
  • ensuring workers with caring responsibilities can balance their work and life
  • closing the pay gaps between public and private sector and between different agencies
Take Action

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Invite a friend or family member to get involved in this campaign [read more]
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News

CPSU calls for independent protection of PS whistleblowers
CPSU has called on the Rudd Government to introduce strong protections for public servants that act in the public interest by exposing corruption, maladministration and illegal activity.  [read more] Strong response to poll on APS pay gaps
There was an overwhelming response to our recent snap poll about the growing pay gap between different public service agencies. [read more] Snap Poll on APS pay rates
Our research shows Public Service pay is dangerously out of whack. Here is your chance to have a say! [read more] Government must tackle PS pay gaps, says CPSU
Federal Government needs to tackle the huge wage gaps within the public service, the CPSU said today.  [read more] CPSU welcomes PS whistleblower inquiry
The Federal Government has today announced an inquiry into Whistleblower protection in the Public Service.  [read more]
[ view all news for this campaign ]
Comments (6)
 
Posted by:    Sumane Liyanaarachchi - 15 Aug 2008, 3:31pm

Agenda for Change is a important and compulsory business tool for gaining clear outcomes from the government in meeting with election promises and needs of the public servants. I believe that union received strong feedback for the topic from the public servants who participated in the conference held at Parramatta on 9th August 2008. We need measurable outcomes.

Posted by:    Graham Bailey - 8 Aug 2008, 3:56pm

I'm from CSA in Perth. I bleieve the biggest issue for the CPSU is the Telstra-style burn and churn taking over the Public Service. It happened in Telstra and then CenteLink and then CSA and it's currently happening at the ATO. It seems we cannot articulate an argument against it. We know what it is and feel uneasy about its effects but cannot quiet muster a rational stance against it. Unions traditionally find it politically difficult to argue about workload or about designing jobs that are human friendly but I beleive we should hang the political expence and get invovled - at least lets have a discussion about it. Churn and burn effects us all, it degrades the human experience, it runs counter to the ABS code of conduct - the bit about care and empathy, and it is unhealthy. Lets get dirty with something that really matters. Wages and conditions, yes, well done everybody, but churn and burn, nothing happening. I think we might be able to get some heat going - generate interest from the younger employees if we drove this specific issue. Difficult though, but we should try to at least discuss it. Thanks everybody.

Posted by:    Stuart - 8 Aug 2008, 7:16am

I think an APS wide agreement would solve a lot of issues and make inter-agency transferring easier. Skilled employees in the APS need to be able to transfer to where they?re needed; currently it can be difficult to transfer at level unless there's an opening in an agency. This would also contribute to the baby boomer exodus issue by enabling the APS to transfer skilled and experienced employees from one agency to another to fill the gaps that the baby boomers will inevitably create. This can also help retain staff to the APS as a whole by creating the ability to have a rotation scheme.

Additionally this will provide an APS wide consensus regarding certain policies such as the almost discriminatory smoking policies currently in some agencies agreements. These policies force smokers to abstain as long as 5 hours until their lunch break. But then in comparison, the department of Health and Aging have no such policy in their agreement.

Posted by:    Andrew Skipper - 29 Jul 2008, 10:25am

I strongly believe that CPSU should be trying to abolish Agency agreements and re-introduce a whole of public service agreement.

An APS4 in Defence should have exactly the same pay AND conditions as an APS4 in Tax or Burea of Statistics or any other Federal Government department.

Apparantly "pattern bargaining" is a dirty word, but this is not pattern bargaining. This is one employer; the Ferederal Government; offering equal pay and conditions to all of it's employees.

The "divide and conquer" tactic has been in place too long. We must unite because there is strength in numbers.

I have heard arguments from the Union that it is in our interest to have different Agency agreements, because if one agency gets a good deal, then other agencies can lobby to get the same deal, but I think this argument is rubbish. Strength in numbers is far more important.

Since Rudd has come to government, I have repeatedly put this argument forward to the CPSU, and so have many other people, but the CPSU seem to be giving it a low priority. I feel that we should be giving it the highest priority.

Posted by:    Sumane Liyanaarachchi - 24 Jul 2008, 7:05pm

APS salary scales in comparision to other sectors are very low. If union can influence the Government close this gap as soon as possible we all are winners.

 
Resources
Downloadable docs
Agenda for Change
Agenda for Change
Discussion paper.
Download the PDF
Next Steps March 2008
Next Steps March 2008
pdf
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