Political advisors to Coalition government MPs and Senators say they are prepared to politically embarrass their bosses by rejecting a new deal on their pay and conditions.
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Fairfax revealed last week that some Liberal and National politicians faced a revolt by their own staffers who were not prepared to accept what they say is a substandard new deal on wages and workplace conditions.
The strife in Coalition ranks deepened on Monday as public servants at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, National Museum and Department of Agriculture voted to reject proposed enterprise agreements, for an unprecedented fourth time of asking in Agriculture's.
A group of Coalition staffers stepped up its campaign as voting by about 1600 political workers began on Monday, with the rebels telling their colleagues that the deal on offer "fails the Coalition ethos" of reward for hard work.
But the official bargaining representative for Coalition staffers, Eric Abetz advisor Josh Manuatu, blasted the rebels on Monday as "gutless and unconvincing".
With Greens and Labor staffers preparing to vote-no, the struggle within Coalition and Nationals ranks has the potential to see the deal, developed under the Coalition's hardline public sector bargaining rules, voted down.
Staffers, speaking on condition of anonymity, have told Fairfax there is also unhappiness in the ranks over what they see as undue pressure to toe the party line.
Monday's escalation of the row comes as the government's public sector policy suffered another blow with the Agriculture Department making history by rejecting a proposed enterprise agreement for the fourth time, believed to be unprecedented in history of the Australian Public Service.
The staffers have been offered 2 per cent per year, in line with what is on offer across the public service, and a pledge of "no loss of conditions" but with 30 minutes added to their working day, a change dismissed as meaningless by advisors who typically work up to 80 hours a wA
But the deal offers no back pay which means an effective pay freeze and there is no change to the staffer's increment system, regarded by many as outdated and unfair.
As hundreds of staffers and their politician bosses gathered in Canberra on Monday morning for the last sitting week of the year, an email circulated by "concerned staff" outlines some of the grievances felt among Coalition support staff.
"We understand that a "No" vote will cause embarrassment to the government therefore this is not an action we are taking lightly," the email reads.
"Our pay may seem generous by community standards, the reality is that each of us sacrifices a lot to do the jobs we do, and our workloads have increased to near unsustainable levels in some cases without an increase in staffing levels.
"Put simply, the pay deal we are being asked to support does not recognise the increasing demands that our work is placing on each of our lives."
Mr Manuatu said he believed that most of his colleagues were happy with the deal on offer.
"Most people find this kind of gutless behaviour from unnamed email accounts and unnamed sources in the media unconvincing and disappointing," he said.
"The simple reality is that this is a fair, reasonable and responsible deal – 2 per cent per year most likely before Christmas."
"The Coalition Bargaining Representatives are advocating to our colleagues to support the offer and the feedback has been positive."
