By Jim McIlroy
On November 19, stop-work meetings of Centrelink staff around the country voted overwhelmingly to walk out in protest at plans to cut 5000 jobs. Centrelink is the federal government's major welfare service delivery agency.
Members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) met at city-wide or local meetings in all states to vote on a national resolution which called on the Howard government and Centrelink management to "immediately provide proper levels of funding for Centrelink and guarantee that any changes to resources, staffing or customer service improvements be negotiated with the CPSU as part of enterprise bargaining negotiations".
Workers voted to strike for the rest of the day and to continue their "political and community campaign" against the cuts. CPSU members will consider further industrial action if they are not satisfied with the government's response.
Reports from around the country indicate that the successful stoppage reflected the outrage felt by Centrelink staff at the prospect of thousands more job losses to a service network already suffering from acute understaffing. Centrelink offices and call centres provided severely reduced service, or were closed.
Messages of solidarity from a number of unions, including the Maritime Union of Australia, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, were received.
Philippa Stanford reports from Adelaide that more than 100 Centrelink staff attended a central city meeting there and voted overwhelmingly for the resolution to walk out. An additional motion, sponsored by Democratic Socialist Party members of the union, was overwhelmingly carried.
The motion read: "This meeting of CPSU Centrelink members calls on the CPSU National Management Committee to prepare a CPSU-wide strategy to reverse the government-imposed special efficiency dividend and provide adequate resources for staffing in Centrelink. Such a strategy must involve a campaign of an Australian Public Service-wide industrial action, community rallies and marches of CPSU members to protest public sector job cuts. Support of the ACTU in mobilising the support of other trade unions should be sought.
"In addition, we call on the Centrelink Section Council to convene further stop-work meetings of Centrelink members by November 27 to report on this, involving a 24-hour stoppage of all CPSU members in Centrelink."
In Brisbane, reports Nick Everett, a meeting of around 300 in the School of Arts building unanimously passed the national motion.
Following lively debate, the Democratic Socialist Party-sponsored resolution was narrowly defeated. Nevertheless, there was widespread support for a widening of the campaign to involve the whole APS, and a national day of action, combined with a 24-hour strike, to provide a focus for the struggle.
Ana Kailis reports from Perth that workplace meetings in WA strongly supported the walkout resolution.