NT shift workers being underpaid by NT government, CPSU alleges

The union representing public sector employees says more than 2,000 shift workers — many of them in frontline roles — are being underpaid by the Northern Territory government, as a protracted dispute between the two parties goes public.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) is claiming shift workers in roles across NT Health, Corrections, Territory Families and other departments are being paid the equivalent of 36.75 hours per week, while being rostered to work 38 hours. But Public Employment Minister Paul Kirby says the government has identified "no substantial underpayments" as part of an ongoing review of shift work.

The CPSU's Northern Territory secretary, David Villegas, said it is lodging an official dispute with the NT Office of the Commissioner of Public Employment over the stoush and could eventually escalate the case to the Fair Work Commission. Mr Villegas said the roughly 2,200 workers across the NT public service who were rostered to 38-hour work weeks were "getting paid exactly the same amount" as other workers on 36.75-hour rosters. He said the issue dated back at least three to four years, when it was raised during the last round of enterprise bargaining.

"That equates to just about 60 hours a year per worker who are being underpaid as a result of this issue," he said. "They're frontline workers, primarily in our area of coverage in Territory Families and the Department of Health. "We have people in places like Don Dale for example. Our members who have for years been exposed to a range of health and safety issues there."

Key points:

• The government says a review of shift worker arrangements is underway
• The public sector union says previous negotiations included a 3.4 per cent increase in shift workers' pay
• It says the underpayment equates to roughly 60 hours a year

Mr Villegas said negotiations between the government and unions to rectify the situation had previously been underway, including with multiple government ministers, until a breakdown in recent months.

"There is genuine sympathy, there has been real communication," he said. 'But for whatever reason … things have ground to a halt, which is why we need the government to intervene to ensure that the Public Service Commission doesn't stop and rectifies these issues for our members."

In response to questions, Mr Kirby said the government was awaiting the findings of a review into shift work being conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Public Employment. He said that review had so far found no "substantial underpayments" among rostered shift workers.

Mr Villegas said potential solutions raised in previous negotiations included back-paying affected workers and giving them a 3.4 per cent pay rise, in addition to the recent 2 per cent pay rise given to all NT government employees.

Dispute latest in series of wage disagreements

The latest dispute follows the NT government instructing the territory's law reform committee to investigate whether wage theft should be made a criminal offence.

It also follows the NT government reversing its previous commitment of a pay freeze for public sector workers.

Then-chief minister Michael Gunner implemented the freeze as part of a package to repair the territory's finances. It was one of the first policies undone by his successor, Natasha Fyles, who offered workers a 2 per cent increase amid rising cost of living pressures on households.

But the government faced criticism for the amount of time it took the Office of the Commissioner of Public Employment to implement the increases across a number of separate enterprise agreements.

The disagreement culminated in the CPSU taking the government to the Fair Work Commission,  before a compromise was eventually reached.

By Thomas Morgan for ABC news

Posted Thu 20 Jul 2023 at 6:33amThursday 20 Jul 2023 at 6:33am, updated Thu 20 Jul 2023 at 9:35am