Thursday 28 November 2024
The Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) Council on Wednesday appointed Melanie Bray as the union’s Branch/General Secretary, filling the vacancy left by incoming UnionsWA Secretary, Rikki Hendon. The first woman of colour to be CPSU/CSA Branch Secretary, Bray worked in the public sector for eleven years as a Client Assistant for the Disability Services Commission, joining the union as an Organiser in 2008 and had been Branch Assistant Secretary since November 2018.
Over the past seventeen years Bray, has been instrumental in key member-led, union-won outcomes for public sector workers, including a significant pay restructure and resourcing for Residential Colleges, which saw instant pay rises of up to $30,000 in 2020, and a salary reclassification and significant safety outcomes for Youth Custodial Officers in 2023. Bray has also done significant work in modernising union processes and operations to ensure members are getting the most out of the union dues.
Incoming Branch Secretary, Melanie Bray, said she looked forward to continuing to deliver real outcomes for the public sector of Western Australia.
“Firstly, I want to thank outgoing Branch Secretary, Rikki Hendon, for her years of dedication to the public sector workers of Western Australia. I look forward to working with Hendon as she takes up the mantle of UnionsWA Secretary, where I’m sure her passion and dedication will continue and benefit workers across all industries in all corners of our state.
“I am honoured to work alongside the members and delegates of our great union, ordinary Western Australians who are committed to delivering robust, timely and quality public services to all corners of our great state. As Branch Secretary, I will fight to make sure these workers have the pay, conditions and resources that they need to deliver those services year-round.”
“We need to encourage diversity in every aspect of life and as a Papua New Guinea Australian, I am excited to continue bringing my life experiences to our union’s most senior role, and hope that encourages others to see what is possible. As Branch Secretary, I will strive to foster workplace cultures that prioritise health and safety, diversity and inclusion and the collective strength of members and delegates as local leaders.”
The CPSU/CSA Council also filled the vacancy left by Bray on Wednesday evening, appointing CPSU/CSA Coordinator, Corporate Services, Ness Brett, as Branch Assistant Secretary.
After sixteen years as a member of the CPSU/CSA, including over a decade in various roles at the then Department of Corrective Services Brett joined the Union as an Organiser in 2018. Since then, Brett has worked across the Union’s Organising and Corporate Services divisions, the latter of which she led before her appointment. Brett has helped deliver secure jobs to 10,000 public sector workers and through member-led efforts, assisted in fostering a new culture of workplace health and safety in the states’s youth custodial facilities and securing a pay reclassification for Youth Custodial Officers in 2023.
Incoming Branch Assistant Secretary, Ness Brett, said she looked forward to supporting Bray as the new Branch Secretary and working to represent and advocate for Western Australia’s public sector workers.
“Having come from the public sector myself, I know what it means to need a strong and effective union in your corner, whether it’s pay and conditions, workplace health and safety or agency resourcing, the collective power of the union in the workplace is how public sector workers achieve their outcomes; outcomes that benefit the public of Western Australia.
“As Branch Assistant Secretary, I look forward to supporting the work of members and delegates in our union, to ensure their workplaces, whether they’re in Perth, as north as Derby, as south as Esperance, or anywhere in between, are supported so they may support all Western Australians.”
ENDS
- The CPSU/CSA covers 44,000 general public sector workers, one-quarter of the WA public sector, including child protection officers, youth custodial officers, park rangers, veterinary scientists and dental technicians.
- 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 incoming Branch Secretary Melanie Bray, please contact CPSU/CSA Reception on 08 9323 3800 and ask for the Media and Stakeholder Engagement Officer.
