Spies, federal police officers and parliamentary workers are set to be left out of new public service workplace rules allowing bureaucracy-wide bargaining with employers, as the government prepares for the next round of negotiations next year.
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Public service commissioner Peter Woolcott told bureaucrats Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher had made "an early policy decision" that service-wide bargaining would be limited to Australian Public Service agencies and their staff.
Mr Woolcott on Tuesday also announced in an open letter to public servants the APS commission had created a taskforce, headed by former NSW public servant Peter Riordan, to develop the rules for service-wide bargaining.
The new rules will exclude public servants not employed under legislation for the public service, such as ASIO and Australian Secret Intelligence Service staff, Australian Federal Police officers, parliamentary department staff and employees at some corporate Commonwealth entities.
Mr Riordan would lead service-wide negotiations when they start in 2023, Mr Woolcott said in the letter.
The commissioner said Senator Gallagher would limit the new bargaining policy to agencies who engage employees under the Public Service Act.
"At the same time, we will develop separate arrangements for agencies who engage employees under different enabling legislation i.e. non-APS Commonwealth agencies," Mr Woolcott said.
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The Workplace Relations Bargaining Taskforce, established last month, has started consulting APS employers and unions, and will be responsible for developing the government's approach to service wide bargaining.
"To do this the taskforce will acknowledge the diversity of agencies and their employees," Mr Woolcott said.
The new bargaining arrangements would allow the negotiation of certain common core terms and conditions in the APS and give agencies the flexibility to negotiate specific conditions, he said.
"I expect initial steps will be taken to address pay dispersion across the APS. This is consistent with the government's expectations," the commissioner said.
Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher last month announced an interim pay deal of 3 per cent, applying to all Commonwealth employees expecting an annual pay increase before August 31 next year, as the government gave itself more time to create its new bargaining rules.
The government and unions are working out the details of how a public sector-wide bargaining agreement could work, as Labor moves to overhaul the Coalition-era policy.
The taskforce is reviewing submissions on the principles being formed by the government for the new bargaining regime.
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