The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) will escalate their service-wide bargaining campaign after the revised pay and conditions offer tabled by the APSC failed to garner clear support from union members.

The CPSU will be escalating industrial action in Services Australia where they have already successfully run a Protected Action Ballot and taken industrial action, including an Auxiliary Code Ban and a 1-hour work stoppage. The union will also be lodging applications for further protected action ballots in other agencies.

The revised pay offer put forward by the APSC was a 0.7% increase from the first offer that was rejected by members. It currently stands at 11.2% over three years; 4 per cent in the first year, 3.8 per cent in the second year, and 3.4 per cent in the third year.

Since receiving the revised offer, the union has engaged in extensive consultation with members across the APS. This has included holding online webinars, conducting workplace meetings, making phone calls and running a member poll.

With over 15,000 members voting in the member poll, there was not clear support for the Government’s package, with 48.1% of members rejecting the deal and 51.9% of members supporting it.

This first round of service-wide bargaining is a unique opportunity to bring all APS employees together and make significant steps forward for their pay and conditions – a package with lukewarm support at best, does not achieve that.

Feedback from members revealed broad support for the conditions package, but disappointment on pay.

Negotiations will continue with the union’s service-wide bargaining team meeting with the APSC tomorrow.

Quotes attributable to Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary:

“Our union’s extensive consultation across APS workplaces has revealed that the Government’s offer does not have clear support from CPSU members.

“There is strong support for the conditions package that has been negotiated, including the industry leading working from home rights, increases to paid parental leave, the reintroduction of job security provisions and increased casual loading rates.

“But in an environment where every APS worker is feeling extreme cost of living pressures, the current pay offer just doesn’t cut it.

“The Government can and should do better – and that means making an offer that has clear support from employees.

“The test for the Albanese Government as an employer isn’t just being better than the Coalition Government, it is to be a model employer – a goal they set for themselves.

“As a union, we will now escalate our campaign across the APS and fight for an improved outcome on pay. This will include escalated industrial action in Services Australia and the lodgement of applications for protected action ballots in other agencies.

Media contact: Tori McGregor 0429 000 620