CPSU will take 9% pay rise claim to APS sector-wide workplace bargaining talks

Unions, the government and individual representatives are preparing to put forward their cases this month as part of a federal government pledge to instate fairer pay and conditions across the public service.

The Australian Public Service Commission will lead discussions, which formally begin on March 30, representing the government's yet-to-be announced bargaining position.

Community and Public Section Union national secretary Melissa Donnelly has revealed the union is planning to bring an ambitious claim to the table that could result in public servants receiving a minimum 9 per cent pay rise as part of the agreement's first year.

In an opinion piece published in The Canberra Times, Ms Donnelly said the claim, if approved, would result in a 9 per cent boost for year one, 6 per cent in year two and followed by 5 per cent in the third year.

The union would also put forward a cost-of-living adjustment for years where the CPI is higher than the pay increase.

To address pay inequity across public service agencies, and the pay classifications within them, Ms Donnelly said a mechanism would be pitched to lift the salaries of the lowest-paid employees immediately.

This could mean a public servant would receive an additional pay bonus on top of the 9 per cent rise, if the claim was to be agreed on.

Ms Donnelly issued a stern warning for the public service - pay workers more, offer more flexibility or risk losing them to other workplaces.

"I could say as a word of warning to the government that not following a recipe often leads to disaster, but I'm not known for my cooking abilities, so I'll say this: you either choose to become a model employer, or you don't," she wrote.

"You either give the public sector a real pay rise, or you have wages that not only fall further behind the private sector but contribute to wage stagnation across the country.

"You either keep up with people's expectations around flexible work, or you lose them to workplaces that have kept up.

"You either grow the public sector in our regions, or you maintain a barrier between the public and the public services they rely on.

"You either address pay inequity across the service, or you continue to allow financial discrimination to exist."

READ MORE:

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher announced in October last year public servants expecting an annual pay increase before August 31 this year will receive a 3 per cent rise ahead of bargaining discussions.

The move, which surpassed private sector wage growth by 0.3 per cent, was part of the government's plan to establish itself as a "model employer".

Bargaining negotiations will occur across two stages over the coming months with the first stage focusing on what conditions can be applied to every agency.

It's expected common terms around pay, flexibility, permanency and workloads will be negotiated by unions, individual employees and the public service commission, which is acting on behalf of all agencies for the government.

Pay fragmentation across the different agencies will also be addressed in this stage.

The second stage will be for agency-level conditions and will likely cover the operational requirements that differ depending on each workplace.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.