Monday 30 September 2024
Following months of member-driven consultation, bargaining and collective workplace action, Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) 85% of voting members have today agreed to accept the second offer from the Government for a replacement to the Public Sector Civil Service Association Agreement 2022. Through the tireless efforts of hundreds of passionate members, the Public Sector Civil Service Association Agreement 2024 as it will be named, has secured decent increases in wages and conditions that reflect a modern workplace and public sector that will begin to address the attraction and retention crisis facing the sector.
Headlined by wage increases of 5%, 4% and 3.5% over the three years of the agreement, the agreement has also secured a raft of improved conditions, including increased parental leave for both primary and secondary caregivers, a raft of improvements for conditions for regional public sector workers, access to reproductive and disability leave and access to permanency after 12 months of employment.
CPSU/CSA Acting Branch Secretary, Melanie Bray, said the improvements secured in this agreement are thanks to the efforts of members and delegates, the leaders in public sector workplaces, who used their collective power to fight for an offer that would begin to address the sector’s attraction and retention crisis.
“Today, our members have secured an agreement that begins to undo the damage of years of restrictive wages caps, with pay rises of 12.5% over three years. An agreement that reflects a modern workplace with expanded and more flexible parental leave of up to 27 weeks available across both caregivers and access to permanency after 12 months of employment. An agreement that will provide new leave types for reproductive health and for disability reasons. And an agreement that will see a number of conditions improvements for those delivering crucial public services in our regional and remote areas.
“These wins were not gifted to us, they were hard fought for by members right across the breadth and width of the public sector and our state. Hundreds of CPSU/CSA members took collective action in and out of their workplaces to put pressure on the Government to deliver a second and improved offer, and that is what they have achieved.
“There’s more to do, and while our members didn’t secure everything in this round of bargaining, the conversation is well and truly underway. The union will continue to push and fight for outcomes that matter to our members, like a Four-Day Workweek, Gender Affirmation Leave and improved superannuation for public sector workers.”
ENDS
- The offer from Government, as compared to the union’s original Log of Claims, is accessible online.
- The agreement will now be subject to drafting between the CPSU/CSA and Government Sector Labour Relations and will be registered with the WAIRC in due course.
- This particular agreement covers nearly 35,000 general public sector workers, such as child protection workers, licencing centre staff, park rangers and WorkSafe staff.
- Note to Journalists: Please ensure the full acronym, “CPSU/CSA” when mentioning us. “CPSU” is typically used to refer to the Union that covers Commonwealth, ACT and NT public sector workers. We are related but separate organisations.
For more information or to arrange further comment from Acting Branch Secretary Melanie Bray, please contact CPSU/CSA Reception on 08 9323 3800 and ask for the Media and Stakeholder Engagement Officer.
