SYDNEY – The Department of Immigration and
Border Protection has joined other public sector workers in a growing strike
that threatens to paralyse air travel at the nation’s biggest international
airports ahead of a holiday weekend.
Any significant disruptions could play into the hands of
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as he heads into an early election announced
yesterday that will be fought largely on industrial relations and reigning in
powerful unions.
Their workers will strike for several hours at five
regional airports on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Community and Public Sector
Union (CPSU) said, before expanding to state capitals such as Sydney and
Melbourne on Thursday.
The strike could severely inconvenience international
and domestic travellers as the nation heads into a four-day weekend for the
Easter holiday, one of the busiest times of year for air travel.
“Our goal is to put pressure on the agency and on
the government to actually talk with us. That’s entirely the reason why this is
being held, and the timing is because that’s the timing that will apply the
most pressure,” a CPSU spokesman told Reuters.
Strikes at major airports, which are aimed at ending a
two-year contract dispute between public sector workers and the federal
government, will continue after the holiday weekend.
“There’s rolling strikes planned from Tuesday next
week for several weeks so it’s not just about a one week thing in the lead-up
to the long weekend, it’s actually a longer term strategy,” the spokesman
added.
On Monday staff at a wide range of government offices
including welfare agency Centrelink, the Tax Office, Bureau of Meteorology, the
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Australian Bureau of Statistics,
walked off the job.
Government employees represented by the CPSU say that
the government has refused to negotiate with them in good faith.
A spokeswoman for Employment Minister Senator Michaela
Cash called the union’s actions “disappointing” and said that they
were placing the needs of their workers over those of disadvantaged citizens who
rely on government services.
“It is disappointing that the CPSU has resorted to
industrial action, particularly in circumstances where regional DHS offices are
most impacted,” she said, referring to the Department of Human Services.
“It is also greatly concerning that the CPSU’s
conduct will mean that some of the most vulnerable in society may (have) their
services impacted over Easter.”
– Reuters