Airport strikes: CPSU unlikely to drop objection to Border Force’s moves

The public service union has accused the government of “massively overstating” the threat to national security.

CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood.

The public service union has accused the federal government and Border Force of “massively overstating” the threat to national security that has arisen during airport strikes.

The industrial umpire ordered an urgent suspension against strikes planned for today after Border Force revealed an “intolerable threat” to national security.

Drug traffickers, child sex offenders, and “returning foreign fighters” are among those who could infiltrate the country “undetected” as a result of the protracted industrial action over public servants’ pay agreements, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection warned today.

The government is petitioning the Fair Work Commission to order the Community and Public Sector Union to suspend strikes for three months owing to the burden on border protection efforts.

The Australian revealed today that the Fair Work Commission had granted an urgent injunction against strikes planned today pending a hearing on the evidence tomorrow.

The CPSU said today it would ask the Fair Work Commission for more time to consider its case to properly assess the Department’s evidence”.

The CPSU strove to ensure all staff reported for duty yesterday after its strike plans at airports in all states were dramatically shelved last night.

Border Force stressed today it had not sought to “capriciously remove” workers’ right to strike.

The CPSU questioned the “credibility” of the government’s evidence during a hearing at the Commission in Melbourne yesterday.

The Fair Work Commission heard yesterday that the risk level facing the nation was increased from “tolerable” to “intolerable” in recent days as a result of the proposed industrial action.

In a statement issued today, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said the planned industrial action “poses an unacceptable risk to the community”.

“There is real risk that over time the industrial action will affect the capacity of the Australian Border Force to protect Australia’s border, increasing the likelihood of drug traffickers, child sex offenders, other criminals and persons who are national security risks (such as returning foreign fighters), or harmful and illicit goods in cargo, getting into the country undetected.”

“These risks, plus the rapidly diminishing ability of the ABF to plug the gaps caused by this round of industrial action, are of immediate concern to the ABF Commissioner, who had no sensible alternative but to legally seek a halt to the action being taken.

“The Department recognises the right of employees to take PIA and has not sought to capriciously remove the right of employees to participate in PIA.”

“However the current action poses an unacceptable risk to the community and this is why we have sought suspension.”

“We have not taken this decision lightly and are committed to bargaining in good faith – within the parameters of the Government’s bargaining policy – to achieve the best possible outcome for our workforce.”

CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said the union would be “responsibly and vigorously assessing the veracity of (the) ... claims in this case”

She called on Malcolm Turnbull to deal with the “root cause” of the issue “which the Prime Minister has not fixed in six months”.