Vic: Govt faces union action on all fronts

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2001
Vic: Govt faces union action on all fronts

MELBOURNE, Aug 21 AAP - Victoria's government is fighting unions on all sides today,
fending off industrial action by police, nurses, disabled carers and another 11,000 public
servants.

Victoria's police are threatening to increase their bans if there is no breakthrough
in today's talks, meanwhile another 200 carers of the disabled will walk off the job for
three hours.

On another front, the state's nurses will be back before the Australian Industrial
Relations Commission (AIRC) as their dispute with the government over bed ratios bogs
down following several rounds of inconclusive negotiations.

As if this was not enough union action for a Labor government to face, the Community
and Public Sector Union (CPSU) yesterday warned it would start rolling work bans by 11,000
members across all areas of the state's administration within a fortnight.

Public servants from 300 job categories from 23 government agencies would impose bans
to highlight a lack of resources in all government sectors, union state secretary Karen
Batt said.

Ms Batts said the CPSU wanted better pay deals and wanted to be able to negotiate centrally
with the government instead of the current legislation which required agreements to be
made with individual government agencies.

The problem was the same as that experienced by police and nursing unions, she said.

Victoria's police are seeking pay rises and a better structure for senior officers,
while the nurses are seeking a government guarantee that nurse-to-bed ratios imposed by
the AIRC will be maintained.

The disability carers are seeking better pay and conditions.

AAP ag/vr/bwl

KEYWORD: INDUSTRIAL VIC DAYLEAD

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