Airport and sea port strikes planned: major impact expected

Thousands of workers plan to launch peak hour strikes at international airports and sea ports on Monday.

Workers from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and Department of Agriculture will walk off the job on Monday. Picture: John Grainger

Thousands of workers plan to launch peak hour strikes to cause “significant disruption and delay” at international airports and sea ports on Monday amid frustration over the federal public service pay freeze.

Workers from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and Department of Agriculture will walk off the job during multiple shifts for four hours at a time “to protest the Abbott Government’s attack on their rights, conditions and take home pay,” the community and public sector union said today.

“The major impact is expected in the busy Monday morning peak at international airports.”

Border Force Marine Unit staff, who number among the CPSU’s 55,000 members, will undertake ‘in port bans’, halting work on loading and unloading equipment from the unit’s fleet and pre-departure checks and maintenance on boats in the coming week.

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Darwin, Perth and Adelaide airports are all likely to be affected.

The union said members who have “essential national security, counter-terrorism and specialist bio-security hazard roles” are exempt from the strikes.

Union members are also handing out hundreds of thousands of flyers at international airports and other public-facing workplaces to draw attention to the dispute with the government over public service bargaining agreements.

Employees from 16 government agencies have already launched strikes since widespread industrial action began last month after negotiations with the government over pay deals broke down.

No significant public service pay agreements have been signed since the previous award expired on June 30.

CPSU National Secretary Nadine Flood said today: “Public sector workers on our borders undertake important, difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs on behalf of our community.”

“The Abbott Government has cut more than 17,000 public sector jobs and is now going after the pay and conditions of those left.

“Workers are facing the loss of up to $8,000 a year — even more for those in remote areas or with specialised skills — from their take home pay. The Abbott Government is insisting the Department (of employment) take an axe to the allowances that make up much of their pay packets which compensate them for weeks away from family at sea, using firearms, meeting high fitness standards, working long hours, unusual shifts and performing dirty and or dangerous work.”

Ms Flood said the action “will impact on the public” but “the real target is the Abbott Government’s unfair and unworkable bargaining policy which stands between these workers and getting a fair deal”.

She said she wanted employment minister Eric Abetz to meet and discuss the dispute with the CPSU.

Senator Abetz said the pay offers on the table were “reasonable”.

“The Public Service and the Australian people understand the difficult financial circumstances that we face as a nation.”

“We are in a very low inflationary environment and I’d encourage the CPSU to take a more responsible stance.”