What you said on public servants seeking $5500 cash bonus, four-day working week

Victorian public servants seeking a $5500 taxpayer-funded cash bonus and a four-day work week trial doesn’t pass the pub test, according to Herald Sun readers. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

The CPSU has told members it’s committed to reaching an agreement with the Allan government by next month. Picture: Nicki Connolly. Picture: Nicki Connolly

The news that Victorian public servants are seeking a $5500 taxpayer-funded cash bonus and a four-day work week trial in their pay negotiations with the state government doesn’t pass the pub test, according to Herald Sun readers.

The union representing 56,000 Victorian bureaucrats has told members it is committed to reaching an agreement with the Allan government by next month.

As part of the deal it wants a lump sum cash payment that would average $5500 per employee on top of guaranteed 3 per cent annual wage increases.

An annual “mobility allowance” would also see average payments of more than $1000 made to employees every year, or 1.25 per cent of their salary.

The Community and Public Sector Union is also refusing to back away from its demand for a four-day work week trial.

In the face of the cost of living crisis, many of our readers have criticised the action, citing Victoria’s debt levels and a perceived lack of productivity from public servants.

Read the comments and join the conversation.

Community and Public Services Union State Secretary Karen Batt.

WHAT YOU SAID

Lynne

They seriously can’t be thinking this passes the pub test, considering the financial state Victoria is in at the moment but I’m sure the Victorian government will introduce a new tax system somewhere to cover the cost of this.

Scott

This will be a litmus test for Ms Allen who has been far from inspiring in her tenure as Premier.

Mea Sententia

If you say you’ll maintain 100 per cent productivity in four days, why aren’t you getting 120 per cent done in five days?

Eternally pending

It really is depressing reading articles like this when so many of us are steadily going backwards thanks to little, if any, wage increases. It feels like swimming against a rip as opposed to riding a wave. Hope the beneficiaries realise how fortunate they are.

‘Make them redundant’

Greg

Should make a large number of them redundant. We have a bloated public service in Victoria due our government’s stupid expenditure which has us in debt more than anywhere else in Australia.

Robert

It is obvious we have too many doing too little. Time to bring in redundancies and get rid of overpaid management. That would be a good start.

Trish

WFH? Four-day week? Bonus regardless of performance? What else can these “leaners” ask for? The current government model (local, state, federal, 2 houses, etc) is hopelessly out of date. Change this and drastically reduce the size of the taxpayer funded public service.

Frank

In the organisations in which I worked in the private sector bonuses were always paid on a performance-related basis, as they should be, not just handed out for turning up. The public service should be no different.

‘Teachers, nurses, fireys deserve it more’

Yoshi

If the PS gets their demands then we as teachers want the same. A four day week to coincide with the day off the public servants get so they can monitor their kids at home while we teach them. It worked during lockdown.

Angela

Give the pay rise to the teachers, nurses, fireys and police, and get rid of all the box-tickers. Win-win.

Chanté

Teachers had to settle for one per cent because of the penurious Victorian Government. Why do public servants deserve more? And teachers and nurses work hard at the coalface, not at home.

Tom

After seeing top public servants getting paid huge $500k+ salaries, why wouldn’t nurses, police and firemen demand more. THEY actually deserve it. As for the rest of the pen pushers, all they deserve is the public’s contempt.

‘Let them strike’

Brad

What happens if they don't get the negotiations they seek? Will they go on strike? No one will notice which will highlight there are too many public servants.

Paul

Just ignore them. They can hardly afford to strike. It would only serve to show us how little they actually do and how little our life is affected without them.

‘What’s the opposition doing?’

Pete

When will the opposition start to call out the union extortions in Victoria and how the taxpayers are funding the bill to support people who want everything but don't want to work for it! Productivity the cornerstone of economic growth is painfully missing is this ONCE great state of Victoria.

Rob

The sooner the Liberals get in, the better for Victoria. Reining in the debt will be impossible but at least they will put up opposition to union demands.

Patrick

Something stinks in Victoria. Anyone home at Liberals HQ? How much ammunition do you need to fight back?

‘Sure, but do something else on the fifth day’

Joanne

They can have their four days provided the fifth day they volunteer. Maybe a bit of graffiti cleaning, street clean ups, feeding the homeless in the city, at the injecting room, even washing Sally’s limo. It might be their most productive day of the week.

Kalay

Let them have their four day week and on the other day they can join the Army reserves, SES, CFA or some other valuable organisation and actually contribute to society.