WA public sector union strike threat 'off'

WEST Australian Premier Colin Barnett can breathe easy now - the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) says it will hold off on potential industrial action until after the state election.

Since buckling to pressure from the nurses union for a 14 per cent wage rise over three years, the Premier has faced a 24-hour snap strike by prison officers as well as a mass rally of union members, including construction workers, outside his office.

While the WA Prison Officers Union has this week been deep in talks with the Industrial Relations Commission since a strike action on Friday, the CPSU has rallied members to discuss gripes including job cuts and privatisation of services.

But the threat of the CPSU taking industrial action has passed for the moment, branch secretary Toni Walkington told AAP.

The purpose of the meeting was to alert the voting public to the union's message before polling booths opened on Saturday, she said.

After the election, members would assess whether they needed to take action, Ms Walkington said.

She feared the incumbent Liberal/National coalition, if re-elected, would continue cutting the public service in a bid to continue its "efficiency dividend" savings measures.

Ms Walkington said it was a case of death by a thousand cuts.

"The savings measures have been going on for some years now," she said.

"There's nothing left to give."

While the government had said frontline services would not be affected, "clearly they are", Ms Walkington said.

She welcomed Labor's pledge to ban privatisation of public services, but was sceptical about whether the party would fulfil that promise if it won the March 9 poll.

Meanwhile, all has gone quiet in the wage war between the WA Prison Officers Union (WAPOU) and the state government.

WAPOU was being sought for comment.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

WA public sector union strike threat 'off'

Dengan url

http://mesinjahitan.blogspot.com/2013/03/wa-public-sector-union-strike-threat-off.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

WA public sector union strike threat 'off'

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

WA public sector union strike threat 'off'

sebagai sumbernya