CPSU announces ‘unprecedented’ strikes over pay dispute

IMMIGRATION and border force officers will walk off the job over a week as the public sector union ramps up strike action over a 1000-day pay dispute.

International passengers can expect delays when immigration and border force staff walk off the job.

IMMIGRATION and border force officers will walk off the job over a week as the public sector union ramps up strike action over pay negotiations.

The rolling stoppages will take place at international airports, cruise ship terminals and cargo facilities beginning on Monday, September 26, until Sunday, October 2.

“This will be strike action on a major scale, an unprecedented escalation to make government finally do something to end this 1000-day dispute,” CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said today.

More airport strikes loom as @TurnbullMalcolm fails to fix 1000+day bargaining mess. @NadineFloodCPSU #fixthismess pic.twitter.com/VGndoBKJum

— CPSU (@CPSUnion) September 14, 2016

The union says it has notified industrial action over all Department of Immigration and Border Protection operations, with 30-minutes strikes available to CPSU members all day, every day.

The CPSU expects multiple short strikes to cause significant disruption and delays.

“Based on previous experience this strike action has the potential to cause more significant disruption and delays for international air passengers and others, but it’s important to emphasise that our members don’t take industrial action to inconvenience the public. They do it because it’s one of the only tools they’ve got to fight for a fair deal,” Flood said.

“This round of action is on a larger scale than any before but numerous exemptions remain in place to ensure national security and the safety of the general public.”