Public Service Union to Strike Against Federal Government

A Medicare and Centrelink office sign is seen at Bondi Junction on March 21, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Matt King/Getty Images

Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members in Services Australia, the department in charge of Medicare and Centrelink, have announced they will launch industrial action on Aug. 1, following stalled wage negotiations.

CPSU National Secretary Melissa Donnelly said the federal government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was elected on a platform of getting wages moving, but claims the proposals to date are falling short of this pledge

“Our members are adamant that they will not settle for the current unambitious pay proposals. As a result, CPSU members in Services Australia will be exercising their right to take protected industrial action this week, with support from their colleagues across the [Australian Public Service or APS],” Ms. Donnelly said.

“This government made a commitment to its own workforce, and if they are serious about getting wages moving and about rebuilding the APS, then it’s time for them to step up and fulfill that commitment.”

Strike Will Not Impact Services, Union Says

The union has promised that the industrial action will have no impact on Australians seeking to use any of the services provided by the department and will instead focus on disrupting the monitoring of staff.

The industrial action is planned to take place over two weeks, with staff on strike refusing to enter proscribed codes that allow management to track what tasks workers are performing at any time.

“The Australian public can be assured that the help they receive from Services Australia will not be impacted by the industrial action,” Ms. Donnelly said.

“Banning the use of Auxiliary Codes for two weeks will significantly disrupt internal monitoring and data collection and fly in the face of the toxic micro-management culture that exists in Services Australia.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Services Australia and the Minister for the Public Service Katy Gallagher for comment.

The industrial action comes after Services Australia executives dismissed community concerns over staffing levels following allegations that tens of thousands of calls went unanswered, leaving thousands of Australians without access to crucial services.

A spokesperson for Services Australia previously The Epoch Times in an email that while there were staff cuts at the agency, this was because staffing was returning to pre-pandemic levels.

“As the Budget papers show, our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic era work, and associated extra resourcing, has concluded,” the Services Australia spokesperson said.

“However, we’re bolstering our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery.

“We’re also bringing staff back in-house and are actively recruiting to APS service delivery roles.”

The spokesperson also noted that to provide the best possible support, the department was adjusting resources to maximise frontline staff levels.

“This includes drawing from these emergency response capabilities,” he said.

Union Worried Budgetary Measures Will Worsen Staffing Issues

However, the CPSU disagreed with this assessment, stating that Services Australia was chronically understaffed.

“Prior to the pandemic, Services Australia staffing levels were not adequate, and they aren’t adequate now,” Ms. Donnelly said.

“Tens of thousands of phone calls are going unanswered every day in Services Australia because there aren’t enough people working in the agency to meet demand.

The union is concerned the situation will only worsen following budget cuts announced in May, with the agency set to lose an estimated 1,868 staff or 6.5 percent of its workforce, news website RIOTACT reported on May 16.

This will see Services Australia with 26,692 employees, down from 28,560.

“The unfortunate reality is that Australians trying to access help from Services Australia can expect this situation to deteriorate if the Government fails to act,” Ms. Donnelly said.