CPSU: Members United

Members United is a rank-and-file group of CPSU members who aim to expand union democracy, while also building up our capacity to take industrial action and win real improvements to our lives. We oppose oppression in all its forms including racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. To find out more about us, email us at at democracy4cpsu@gmail.com, or scan the QR code on the reverse.

PEACE IS UNION BUSINESS
The illegal US and Israeli attacks on Iran and Lebanon have left thousands dead, 1 million displaced, and created a global fuel crisis. Our heart goes out to all the victims of war, and with working class people who are now struggling to afford fuel. This needless killing has to stop. We stand firmly on the side of peace, justice and hope.

AUSTERITY IS RAMPING UP
Katy Gallagher’s demand for a 5% cut is now taking effect. Voluntary redundancies are being offered across the APS.

Hundreds of positions are set to go from Services Australia and DCCEEW, while CSIRO has already been heavily cut back.
This is an underhanded move that cuts across fair bargaining. Workers are being told to engage in the enterprise agreement while cuts are pushed through in the background. It weakens our position before bargaining has even begun.

Some delegates have been instructed by organisers not to mention the cuts to members. But members are already feeling the impact, including voluntary redundancies, hiring freezes, and workload pressures, and the lack of a fight against these cuts is dragging down enthusiasm for bargaining. People are being asked to get active, but can see cuts happening with no real pushback.

It is in this context that Members United held a public forum on austerity and its impact on CPSU members. Johnny Stowellman, a member from our sister union CPSU-Victoria SPSF, spoke about what a good campaign looks like.

In Victoria, the Silver Review laid out a program of cuts. Rank and
file members organised a rank and file election ticket, put forward an alternative “Gold Review,” won enough members’ votes to change the leadership of their union, and fought to save thousands of jobs. That is the difference. When union leaders fight, members step up to join them. When they don’t, members switch off.

The CPSU leadership elections later this year are a chance to run a real campaign against austerity. The current top down approach of ignoring cuts treats members like mugs.
Win or lose, Members United delegates will continue to take a member led approach, centring members’ concerns and being honest about what it will take to defend our pay and conditions.

STRIKE AT THE ABC
On Wednesday 25 March, more than 2,000 staff at the ABC went on a 24-hour strike nationwide. It was the first time in 20 years that ABC unions (MEAA and CPSU) struck together, and many APS members showed up to cheer in solidarity.

The unionists were fighting for a wage rise of 5.5% per year to fight inflation (running at 4.6%), and against insecure short-term contracts. They also demanded that any new AI application must be voted on by staff, and the agency must not allocate work based on ethnicity or political belief (the “Lattouf clause” – to prevent a repeat of the outrageous and illegal sacking of Antoinette Lattouf).

Four months went by before the ABC management even looked at their claim. Staff voted down the ABC’s proposal twice.

Finally, the strike brought management to the table with an improved offer – a 10.5 per cent pay rise over three years, including a 4 per cent increase in the first year, just ahead of current inflation, with back pay from October 1, 2025.

Most union campaigns today are failing to deal adequately with inflation. It’s no wonder, given that strikes are now a once-in-a-generation event for many unions. ABS data indicates that the annual number of industrial actions has fallen by 90% since the 1980s. It’s time
to turn this around.

Technically strikes have always been illegal in Australia (until the laws surrounding enterprise bargaining in the 1990s allowed strictly controlled strikes during bargaining periods). But strikes have always happened, and unionists have challenged repression throughout history.

As inflation soars in response to fuel price hikes, we will need strong leadership and solidarity to build confidence and effective unionism across the APS in our bargaining campaigns. Meanwhile CPSU members in the ACT rejected an inadequate offer from the ACTPS – 7.5% pay rise over three years, featuring staged increases from July 2026 to February 2029.

Democracy4CPSU calls for the CPSU leadership to work with members to defend pay and conditions across the APS. Public servants can learn from the ABC, which has won a much better pay rise through a well organised workforce, and a strong campaign.

A union can only be strong enough to win major victories if rank-and-file members are empowered to lead actions based on a community of care and support.

STOP WORK FOR STEWARDSHIP
In the community and public sector, union work can be challenging. When we focus entirely on pay and conditions, the rebuttal to unionism can often be that if we stop work, it’s the people and systems we are trusted to look after who suffer most.

However, we choose to work here because we believe in stewardship of the community. As unionists taking action, we can demonstrate our commitment to caring about this through:
Mutual aid networks to look after those unable to work.

Strike funds to keep workers above water.

Recent actions in Minnesota, USA have demonstrated this synthesis of ideas, with workers establishing mutual aid hubs like Stand With Minnesota quickly after Renee Good’s death to provide support to the 20% of residents experiencing financial stress due to immigration raids causing people to miss work.

The next step, after ensuring community safety, is to maintain the expenses of workers through a strike fund. This is a regular payment union members would access while taking any industrial action causing loss of income. Doing this helps maintain the resources of those who are able to work, and avoids class infighting around who deserves to receive assistance.

With these foundations of support, workers can be more assured of their power to aim high, bargaining for a better system rather than just for themselves as employees of one organisation.

This is how we win public support against a divisive media landscape, and the key to refuting the boss’s narrative that we are greedy workers asking for more than our fair share. We are simply ordinary workers fighting for all to live a dignified life.

Contact: Greg Brown 0409 877 528

For printed version see:

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:cdf95b7a-efe1-42c0-9e4a-65078228b9d7