The Morrison Government's public sector bargaining policy is failing workers, the economy and the wider community.
Agencies having to grapple with the policy now are attempting to remove from agreements both consultation rights, and paid leave for staff to support charity work in the community.
The CPSU has been advised that these moves are the direct result of the Morrison Government's unfair and misguided public sector bargaining policy. The bargaining policy cements low wage growth by dictating that the maximum pay rise available to any APS employee is tied to the plummeting wage price index for the private sector. This is not just bad for APS employees who have already suffered a wage freeze under this Government, it's bad for the economy and workers everywhere, as even the Reserve Bank Governor has recognised.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the National Indigenous Australians Agency have both proposed removing certain staff consultation rights. Furthermore, the Prime Minister's own Department, Prime Minister & Cabinet, refuses to guarantee paid leave for staff
affected by family violence, or staff who do the vital work of volunteers on the front lines of disaster, and is looking to remove the paid support for charity work in the community that PM&C currently provide.
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO CPSU NATIONAL Secretary Melissa Donnelly:
'On every issue, the Prime Minister says one thing and does the opposite. He says he supports the vital work of volunteers- then interferes with the ability of people to do that work in their communities.
'He says he supports women's right to be safe - but impedes agencies from guaranteeing the paid Family and Domestic Violence leave that we know is a crucial support for women attempting to leave unsafe situations.
'He says he wants the economy to bounce back but he hampers that recovery by keeping wage growth down.'
'The Prime Minister doesn't hold a hose - and apparently, he doesn't want his staff to either.'
'This is Scott Morrison's problem to solve. Public sector staff who supported the community through one of the most trying years in our history want one simple thing: for the Prime Minister to do his job so that they can keep doing theirs.'
