5 September 2007

In an extraordinary outburst during an Australian Industrial Relations Commission hearing in Sydney, the CEPU said that the purpose of proposed strike action was “about us being able to hurt them (Australia Post) and hurt them a lot”.

Head of Corporate Human Resources for the corporation, Mr Rod McDonald, said it was unthinkable that a union that purports to represent the interests of 20,000 of Australia Post’s workers would want to put jobs at risk.

“The people who will be hurt by strike action will be our customers and union members who will lose at least four hours’ pay if they strike,” Mr McDonald said.

“There’s little doubt that the majority of our people believe our EBA offer is very fair.

“Repeated union claims that the offer is less than CPI are also false. If you compare our offer of 12% over the 2.5 years of the proposed agreement and then add the bonus, it beats forecast CPI by a margin. It also locks in all existing award conditions and entitlements,” he said.

Australia Post took the decision to bypass the union and pay staff a 4 per cent increase this week – a move which has been welcomed by staff across the organisation.

“The CEPU’s decision to seek strike action is a clear indication that they have no intention of returning to the negotiating table any time soon. More particularly, their comments in the AIRC would suggest they are completely out of touch with the needs of the business, our customers and our people.”
 

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