Whats happening in the APS under recent changes

1
Whats happening in the APS under recent changes

• Presented by
• CPSU Assistant National Secretary
• Mark Gepp

2
Introduction

• APS Facts Figures
• Old Regime
• New Environment
• Emerging Issues

3
APS Facts Figures

• Total APS Staff at 30 June 07 Total 143,525
• - 62,338 Men
• - 81,187 Women
• Total No. APS Employers - 91
• Top 3 largest agencies as at 30 June 2007
• - Centrelink 27, 296
• - ATO 23, 110
• - Defence 21, 177

• Source 2007 APS Annual Report 2006-07 APS
  Statistical Bulletin

4
APS Forms of Agreement

• 89 Collective Agreements
• 60 Union Collectives Agreements
• 85 of APS Employees covered by Union Collective
  Agreement (excluding AWA Employees)
• 18,500 on AWAs

5
The Old Regime

• APS Employers choose form of Agreement
• DEWR determined scope of APS Collective
  Bargaining
• - Whats In / Whats Out
• - Policy Parameters
• Whats In / Whats Out rules relaxed for AWAs
• Most new starters had to accept AWA with the job

6
The Old Regime

• Bargaining automatically turned into
  confrontational battleground as unions/
  management tried to win employees hearts and
  minds.
• Push for conditions/ entitlements to sit outside
  agreements.
• Unions locked out of workplace.
• Bargaining process became impossible as
  Government sought to impose AWA and non-union
  culture.
• Negotiations with unions would suddenly end as
  employers break off discussions and place
  employee collective agreement.

7
Old Approach Had Significant Consequences

• Equal pay for equal work disappears with major
  pay gaps opening up.
• APS Values become diluted as employees are
  treated differently in different agencies.
• Agencies with high salary/wages bill hit hardest
  with imposition of Government efficiency dividend
  and failure to supplement increases.

8
Closing the Pay Gap
9
Closing the Pay Gap
10
Efficiency Dividend and Wages Supplementation

• Annual cut to Agency Budgets 1.25 (ED)
• Funding for wage increases kept to approximately
  half the growth of CPI.
• Annual average APS wage rises 4.2
• Outcome ? Less jobs, less services

11
New Environment Rudd Government Approach

• New Bargaining Framework
• - Collective Agreements Key Feature
• - AWAs Abolished
• Employees decide their preferred type of
  agreement
• - Union Collective Agreement (UCA)
• - Employee Collective Agreement (ECA)

12
New Environment Rudd Government Approach

• Rights of employees to be represented by their
  union restored.
• All terms and conditions to be covered by
  enforceable agreements.
• Releasing staff to participate as community
  service volunteers, emergency service volunteers
  and Defence reservists.

13
Emerging Issues

• All bargaining frameworks produce a range of
  residual issues that require addressing by its
  replacement framework and supporting policy.

14
Emerging Issues

• Must find a way to close the pay gaps across the
  APS.
• Must develop an approach that recognises equal
  pay for equal work.
• Must re-establish the notion of a career based
  public service where mobility is valued.
• Must enable the capacity to quickly respond to
  changing service delivery and policy needs.

15
Emerging Issues

• Must properly fund agencies including
  appropriately real supplementation for wage
  movements.
• Must find genuine processes that identify fair
  dinkum savings and not through arbitrary
  efficiency dividends.
• Must understand that Quality Public Services
  comes from Quality Policy Service Delivery that
  comes from Quality People.