Airport strikes to resume after public servants delayed action because of Brussels, Easter

Passengers told to brace for chaos at airports this week after a pause in action because of Brussels and Easter | DATES

The public service union says Immigration, Border Force and department of agriculture officials will stop work this week over a long-running public sector bargaining dispute. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Industrial action at airports will resume from Wednesday after public servants postponed planned work bans to alleviate security fears following the terrorist bombings in Brussels.

The Prime Minister’s call for the union to hold off on strikes planned for last Thursday averted chaos ahead of the Easter long weekend, however the public service union said today that Immigration, Border Force and department of agriculture officials would stop work this week over a long-running public sector bargaining dispute.

• Airport strike dates

“Strict national security exemptions” remained in place “as they have throughout the union’s long campaign to protect rights, conditions and take-home pay”, the Community and Public Sector Union said today as it pledged “short rolling strikes” starting on Wednesday.

“Passengers may experience some delays when departing or arriving on international flights as a result of the rolling strikes”, the union said.

The Easter Thursday strike was postponed by the union last week “at the request of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and in response to the heightened anxiety of travellers at such a busy period in the wake of the Brussels attacks,” the CPSU said.

CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said: “We agreed to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s request ... to postpone these strikes in good faith, and conscious of the understandable concern of travellers on one of the busiest days of the year at airports in the wake of the awful events in Brussels.”

“Our members in Immigration and Border Force and Agriculture and Water Resources will now resume their industrial action, knowing that their campaign never has and never will compromise Australia’s national security at airports or anywhere else.

“These workers remain angry and frustrated at the way they’ve been treated by this Government, with no-one listening to their concerns for their livelihoods and their families after two years of attacks on their rights and pay.”

“They strongly believe that this is the only way of getting the fair deal they deserve.”

The strikes followed 24-hour stoppages by Medicare, Centrelink, the Australian Taxation Office, Defence and the Bureau of Meteorology workers last week.

The CPSU warned immigration and border protection offers including Border Force staff would undertake “several weeks of extended rolling stoppages” at international airports.

An impasse in bargaining over workplace agreements has left staff in dozens of departments and agencies in limbo over their employment contracts.

The union is demanding annual wage rises of 3-4 per cent while the government has offered 2 per cent a year for three years.

But Public Service commissioner John Lloyd has branded the CPSU campaign against the agreements “scaremongering” and claimed the union sought to protect industrial “privileges”.