Public service minister Katy Gallagher has confirmed all Australian Public Service (APS) agencies will now hit their mandated bargaining deadline for workplace ballots, which is just two weeks away (March 14), to collect their 0.92% sign-on bonus payments.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Gallagher’s office swung in strongly behind the fairness of the new wage deals being voted up across APS agencies, as the opposition opened a new front of attack aimed at public service wages and workplace policies off the back of sharp industry criticism.
Traditionally a backwater of industrial relations of little interest to private sector and industry groups, APS flexible work conditions — and who they do and don’t apply to — are now being primed to become a talkback radio lighting rod.
Key employer representatives like AI [Australian Industry] Group are publicly challenging the merit of the APS flexible work policy, especially a new condition that has a positive bias towards approval for working from home upon request unless there are “reasonable business grounds” to refuse the request.
“For those who have no choice but to be at work — truck drivers, plumbers, teachers, paramedics, factory workers, chefs, doctors — it is just a nauseating confirmation of how far out of touch the federal public service, their unions and unfortunately the government are from workplace reality,” AI Group chief executive Innes Willox said.
Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Melissa Donnelly refuted Willox’s comments.
“This attitude will come at a cost to businesses who aren’t benefitting or being supported to benefit from their employees having flexible working conditions,” Donnelly said.
“Being flexible about how, when and where work is performed where possible is as big an opportunity for employers as it is for employees.”
However, several unions outside the CPSU that represent staff of non-APS agencies (like the Australian Federal Police, some statutory authorities, national security and intelligence services as well as public service trade, technical and emergency staff) are also unhappy with the APS deal that they are being told to cop, and are pushing hard to go to the Fair Work Commission for a determination.
A key flashpoint is that, while the new APS flexible work conditions are sufficiently appealing to administrative staff to have grabbed the 11.2% pay increase plus starting bonus offered by the Australian Public Service Commission, non-APS agencies that see staff working onsite, in the field or on shifts do not receive the same level of benefit and are lumped with the service-wide pay number.
The issue is not so much who benefits from the deal but rather who doesn’t and gets left behind. Not all employers appear thrilled either, especially those who could lose employees.
So far, the AFP hierarchy does not appear to be challenging its union’s pursuit of a Fair Work Commission determination.
This means the Australian Federal Police Association is likely to make a particularly strong case against the Australian Public Service Commission’s Australian Government Public Sector Workplace Relations Policy, which sets out what can and cannot be offered by employers — like more pay.
While the four weeks before the March 14 bargaining deadline are crunch time for voting up the deals, the recommendation of the CPSU to vote ‘yes’ is essentially an endorsement of the government’s offer and should easily be enough to get all APS agencies over the line.
“A further 12 ballots are due to close this week, with all APS agencies expected to achieve the timeframe of 14 March 2024, when the first pay increase is set to take effect. All APS agencies expected to achieve the timeframe of 14 March 2024, when the first pay increase is set to take effect,” Gallagher said.
Many non-APS agencies — not so much.
With employer groups critical of the APS deal, and major businesses like banks demanding staff come back to offices, Gallagher defended the public service’s work ethic.
“When Labor came to office, we said we would bargain in good faith with APS employees and that is exactly what we did. This was in direct contrast to the approach taken by the former Liberal/National government,” Gallagher said.
“Public servants work hard, the Albanese government values their work, and we welcome the strong yes vote in enterprise agreement ballots so far.”
One APS. Unless you’re one of them. Bargaining continues.
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