Leaked: Defence pay rise offer two per cent below inflation

Date
    July 25, 2014


The Defence Department looks set to offer its 20,000 public servants pay rises of just 0.9 per cent - less than one-third the rate of inflation.

Leaked departmental documents show the civilian bureaucrats will also be expected to work an extra half an hour each week, give up two paid days off each year and agree to slower career and pay progression if they are to get the 2.65 per cent pay rise over three years.      :(

The department’s powerful Defence Committee agreed 10 days ago to the bargaining position but have yet to tell their workers about the expected pay and conditions offer, with Defence's official position that it was not yet ready to begin bargaining.

But leaked internal documents show the committee signed off on July 15 on a position offering a pay rise of 2.65 per cent spread over the three-year agreement.

The official annual inflation rate was adjusted on Wednesday to 3 per cent.

To get the pay rise, Defence workers must agree to give up one paid day off during the Christmas stand-down period, and another unspecified day off, known in the department as the DECA day.

Defence's “performance progression rate” would be slashed almost in half, from 3.8 per cent to 2 per cent and the 1 per cent “performance progression” lump sum payment would be scrapped.

Another condition, officially called a “productivity initiative”, would be an increased working day from 37.5 to 38 hour per week.

Mandated competency standards would be dropped from the enterprise agreement, which would be “streamlined”, and replaced with generic Public Service Commission Work Level standards.

The position also calls for a massive reduction in consultation with its workforce over workplace changes.

The Defence Department's MediaOps unit did not respond before deadline to a request for comment.

But union representatives who saw the leaked material on Thursday were furious, with Dave Smith of technical union Professionals Australia saying the department was preparing to undermine the jobs of key national security workers.

“We are extremely concerned by the position the government is taking with its national security workforce, undermining key conditions,” Mr Smith said.    

“For starters the numbers don’t add up.

“The workforce is expected to trade off more in conditions than the paltry pay increase of less than 1 per cent per year on offer.”      :(

The union official said it was unacceptable for the workforce to learn of the department’s plan through a leak and called on Defence Minister David Johnston to intervene.

“We have been calling on the government to begin bargaining for months and have been told they are not ready,” Mr Smith said.

“To then learn of this reported agenda via a leak, shows that this is a department in crisis.      :(

“Minister David Johnston, if he values the broader Defence workforce, must intervene, veto this bargaining position and commit to genuine negotiations.”

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/leaked-defence-pay-rise-offer-two-per-cent-below-inflation-20140724-zwix3.html#ixzz38Wasz0u4

The LNP want to make our soldiers go over and risk their lives for our freedom for pittance, after all it isn't them or their families serving, Welcome to the LNPs version of the United States of Australia. The sooner these mean nasty spirited Parasites get the Judo chop the better.