Union set to take industrial action in Fair Work Ombudsman

The CPSU has successfully run a Protected Action Ballot in the Fair Work Ombudsman, paving the way for members to take action.

A majority of members voted in support of all three actions proposed by the CPSU: strikes for up to one hour; strikes for up to 24 hours; and including an authorised CPSU statement in email signatures.

CPSU National Secretary, Melissa Donnelly, said on Tuesday that while the union has made "significant progress" for common conditions during bargaining, "the outstanding issue for workers is pay".

"An increased pay offer isn't just good for APS employees who faced a decade of attacks on their wages, conditions and jobs," she said.

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"It is good for every agency and every department that is struggling to recruit and retain the staff they need to deliver the high-quality public services that Australians deserve."

The union knocked back a service-wide pay increase of 11.2 per cent over three years for federal public servants last month, after a separate poll of 15,000 members returned narrow support for the pay package.

Union members in the Fair Work Ombudsman are considering next steps.

A spokesperson for the agency told The Canberra Times that it respected workers' rights to take action, and would try to minimise any impact on customers.

"The Fair Work Ombudsman has been negotiating in good faith with the CPSU and bargaining representatives," the spokesperson said.

"We respect that lawful industrial action is part of the bargaining process.

"We are making preparations to minimise any potential disruption to our customers caused by any industrial action taken."