Where the public service pay rises flow

Thousands of territory bureaucrats had their annual pay packets boosted on Thursday by at least $2000, taking the wage increases for the most junior public servants to 13.6 per cent in the current four-year enterprise agreement.

Meantime, a group of federal public servants have been told there are no guarantees they will be offered a 2 per cent pay rise, despite the government lifting the cap on wage increases this week.

The struggle of Commonwealth bureaucrats, with some large departments already resorting to industrial action, is in marked contrast to their ACT counterparts whose deals were fully back-paid after being settled more than 12 months late.

Guards at the territory's jail were the big back-pay winners, pocketing up to $8000 in wages arrears.

Backpay has been banned for Commonwealth workers by an edict of the Abbott Government which remains in force.

The offers made to federal workers have also included deep and unpopular cuts to entitlements and conditions.

But ACT employees have also scored up to four weeks domestic violence leave and a half-a-per-cent boost to super contributions for some workers.

The ACTPS's high flyers at ASO 6 level and above will 'only' get 11 per cent over the life of the agreement, still two-and-half times what their federal counterparts have been offered.

But the territory's managers can console themselves at having won a week's "recovery leave" each year, which can be taken in blocks of no more than two days to recuperate from hectic periods like budget and parliamentary estimates sessions.

CPSU official Vince McDevitt said the deal had come after "tough but fair" negotiations with the ACT's Labor government.

"These were long and tough negotiations, but we were always at the table talking with the employer," Mr McDevitt said.

"Importantly workers were not penalised by the drawn out process because the deal included back pay."

Meantime, federal public servants at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority have been told not to get too excited over news, announced by public service minister Michaelia Cash this week, that the government's 1.5 per cent cap on pay rises had been lifted to 2 per cent.

CASA's chief executive Mark Skidmore told his staff on Thursday that his agency still had to figure out ways to pay for a higher pay rise from within their already stretched budgets and took to crowd-sourcing money-saving ideas from his workers.

"We have made good progress in EA bargaining to date with funding approved for a pay offer of 4.5 per cent over three years without any requirement to remove or reduce entitlements from CASA staff," the chief executive wrote.

"The pay offer is funded by productivity improvements already identified."

"I am currently considering the implications for CASA of this change in Government policy and as always, would welcome your suggestions for any additional areas that CASA could focus on for cost savings."

Workplace union Professionals Australia official Dave Smith said Mr Skidmore's bulletin proved that the government's policy adjustment was just "smoke and mirrors".

"[Senator] Cash's move to increase potential pay increases is "smoke and mirrors" – particularly if Government doesn't give you sufficient funding or "cash" to pay for a better deal," Mr Smith said.