Bosses at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have abandoned talks on a new pay deal, which they say is the best they "know of in the APS", telling workers they can take the offer or leave it.
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Managers say there is "no downside" to their offer of a 4.5 per cent wage rise over three years and want to take their proposal to an all-staff ballot within a month.
But the workplace's main union says there is little upside to "the worst [enterprise agreement] offer in the history of enterprise bargaining at DFAT" and looks set to campaign for a no vote in the wake of crushing defeats of management proposals elsewhere in the Australian Public Service.
The Community and Public Sector Union sent a bulletin to its members at the department, saying their senior executives had "tabled their final revised enterprise agreement and immediately indicated that they believe no further negotiation is possible".
"The current offer is the worst EA offer in the history of enterprise bargaining at DFAT and the CPSU expects that members will want to go back to the bargaining table to seek an improved offer for staff at DFAT," the bulletin said.
The CPSU says DFAT's 3700 employees should be worried about the "streamlining" of the agreement, in line with proposals across the APS.
"The proposed EA is reduced from 102 pages to 42 pages. That is 55 pages of legally enforceable text that DFAT is proposing to take away from you."
The union argues that protections for workers allegedly underperforming will be stripped away, as will the legally enforceable entitlement to some of DFAT's lucrative allowances.
The department did not respond before deadline on Tuesday to requests for comment, but one of its assistant secretaries, Luke Williams, has been engaged in a spirited sales effort on the proposal, with an enthusiastic pitch to staff last month.
"We have managed to preserve all existing conditions staff currently access, and are proposing to introduce more flexible working arrangements, such as annual leave at half pay in some circumstances," Mr Williams wrote.
"This is the best deal we know of in the APS, and includes the maximum achievable pay increase without having to trade away existing entitlements."
In response to public servants asking what the catch was, Mr Williams indicated there was no catch.
"Some staff have asked us whether there is a 'downside' to the department's proposed general 4.5 per cent pay increase, without the loss of any conditions," the he wrote.
"There is no downside.
The department could make this proposal without cutting conditions because we were able to convince the [Public Service Commission] and the Department of Finance that increased productivity achieved through our many reform initiatives – like the red tape projects, IT improvements, and the ideas challenge – covered the cost of the increase.
"By relying on these reforms, DFAT staff will continue to have the highest annual leave entitlement across the APS, with 22 days recreation leave and 20 days personal carers' leave."
