National stop-work meetings of Community and Public Sector Union members on April 23 decided on a week of two-hour rolling stoppages as a part of a campaign in defence of jobs and conditions proposed by the national management committee of the CPSU.
The official motion was passed by an overwhelming majority. There was also significant support for a resolution adopted by the ACT branch executive calling for a national campaign of ongoing industrial action combined with a 24-hour stop-work on May 8 against the federal budget.
This resolution was moved by supporters of the militant rank and file network National Challenge as a supplementary motion. While supporting the official motion, they argued that it fell well short of the type of campaign necessary. The resolution lost by around 200 votes nationally.
Many questioned whether the officials were serious about running a campaign or whether it was a stunt for the CPSU national elections beginning on May 2. As National Challenge speakers pointed out, the last "campaign" coincided with elections last year and ended immediately before those elections finished.
In Canberra, Paul Oboohov reports that a 1500-strong meeting voted for a well-orchestrated ongoing industrial campaign with a 24-hour pre-budget strike on May 8.
The meeting also voted against individual contracts and agency agreements, calling for continued negotiation for a public service-wide agreement. The motion was moved by Val Edwards, on behalf of the ACT branch executive. Edwards is the CPSU National Challenge candidate for CPSU national secretary. The motion was carried by 656 votes to 469.
Two motions from the national leadership were also passed. The first condemned the government for attacks on jobs and conditions, and restated demands for certified agreements to protect jobs and conditions. There was criticism from the floor that the ACT branch had previously rejected agency bargaining in favour of a public service-wide agreement, and the Caird leadership was putting it to members yet again.
A second motion had two-hour rolling stoppages from May 2 as proposals for concrete action. In debate, there was some criticism that the motion was weak and did not go far enough. Nevertheless, the motions were overwhelmingly carried.
The next day, the Canberra Times ran a front-page article claiming, "Canberra public servants will test the Federal government's preparedness to use the Workplace Relations Act when they strike for 24 hours on May 8".
When contacted, CPSU ACT branch secretary Simon Jarman said that the national management committee of the CPSU had confirmed that the ACT strike motion was in line with the official motions, which allowed for further branch or section actions. As a consequence, he said, the ACT branch would strike, and this would replace the two-hour rolling stoppages.
Sarah Harris reports from Sydney that around 1200 members attended the meeting at which national secretary Wendy Caird spoke of the cuts facing the public service. Her "sources" tell her that there will be more cuts in the budget.
According to Caird, after a year of negotiating, the CPSU leadership has decided that it is "not working" and that now is the time to take industrial action. Action has now become "very urgent". The two official motions won overwhelmingly support.
Then the microphones on the floor were switched off, preventing the mover of the National Challenge resolution, Jen Crothers, speaking from the floor. Crothers was then forced to scramble up to the stage as people were leaving the meeting, with the chair making no attempt to call the meeting to order.
Caird, despite previously arguing for urgent action, spoke against the motion. The chair then tried to gag discussion. The gag motion lost by two votes. When the motion was eventually put, approximately one third of around 300 remaining members voted for the National Challenge resolution.
The National Challenge resolution, moved by Michael Duffy in Parramatta, was lost by 12 votes. In Hurstville, a resolution calling for a 24-hour national strike motion to be put to CPSU members got overwhelming support.
From Hobart, Ben Courtice reports that about 170 CPSU members almost unanimously adopted the resolutions of the CPSU leadership. The National Challenge resolution, however, received less than a dozen votes.
A speaker against the resolution, playing on the demoralisation caused by massive job losses, argued that in order to let the more unenthusiastic members feel comfortable, we ought to take only low key actions.
Julia Perkins reports from Burnie that the National Challenge resolution was overwhelmingly adopted.
From Adelaide, Stan Lee writes that a mass meeting of 1000 CPSU members voted for rolling two-hour stoppages.
While discussion showed support for industrial action, Kate Coleman, assistant branch secretary, spoke against the National Challenge motion, claiming that members would not be ready for a 24-hour strike by May 8.
SA tax sub-section secretary Stan Thompson, who moved the National Challenge motion, reminded the officials that this was the reasoning cited by them 12 months ago, and tens of thousands of jobs had been cut since that time.
The motion was defeated 199 votes to 60. DSS South Australian section councillor Philippa Stanford explained, "Members were genuinely in support of industrial action and a 24 hour stop-work, as indicated by the strong applause greeting contributions in favour of the action. However, once members saw that the branch leadership were not in favour, many became concerned that any vote for action would not be carried through to the full extent by the branch leadership."
From Brisbane, Jim McIlroy relates that the meeting of some 500 CPSU members overwhelmingly endorsed the national management committee motion.
The National Challenge resolution was lost after some debate. Although no count was taken due to lack of time, the motion was supported by about a third of the members present.
In the opinion of many, it was only the intervention of state secretary Claire Moore in arguing that the members were not ready to carry out a 24-hour stoppage that swung the vote against the resolution.
One positive result was a motion to call for workplace meetings to consider a four-hour stoppage on May 13 to support the anti-budget rally and march planned for that day.
Ana Kailis writes that a meeting of around 300 workers in Perth adopted the national leadership motions. The National Challenge resolution received around 50 votes.
Jolyon Campbell reports from Melbourne that around 1000 members attended the meeting. The officials resolutions were carried, as was the National Challenge resolution (489 to 223), which was moved by Chris Slee, a CPSU activist in the Tax Office.
A resolution moved by the Red Tape network calling on the national management committee to withdraw immediately from any negotiations towards certified agreements was also adopted.
During the course of the discussion, there was much derision from the members of previous actions organised by the branch leadership, including a day of support last year which consisted of letter writing, a sausage sizzle and a "wake" for DEETYA.