Public Service Minister Michaelia Cash: I'm willing to talk to unions about public service wages

Public service unions have been clamouring for peace talks with the new minister since her appointment to the portfolio.

The Community and Public Sector Union, the Australian Services Union and Professionals Australia have all written to her, requesting meetings to discuss an end to the epic wage disputes between the government and its public servants.

Senator Cash told The Canberra Times on Tuesday that she was willing to talk but added that she expected unions to behave responsibly.

More than 10,000 Commonwealth workers walked off the job last week, with the dispute well into its second year and with no end in sight, and a 10-day campaign of stoppages at air and sea ports by staff from Senator Cash's previous portfolio, Immigration, is due to wrap-up on Wednesday.

Now the public service unions, who made little headway in recent times trying to meet with Senator Cash's predecessor, Eric Abetz, are keen for a catch up with the new minister, saying the bargaining impasse needs to be resolved.

The Community and Public Sector Union, by far the largest of the three, says it is hoping to draw a line under the hostility that emerged between itself and Senator Abetz in the last few months of his tenure as minister.

The union's national secretary, Nadine Flood, has written to Senator Cash requesting talks.

The Australian Service Union's tax officers' branch offered its congratulations to the new minister before launching into a critique of the approach her predecessor took to public sector bargaining.

"The ASU requests the Turnbull Coalition government review its bargaining policy for the public sector because it has not worked," union official Jeff Lapidos wrote.

"The policy creates an expectation that departmental secretaries must strip employees' workplace rights out from any new enterprise agreement.

"It prevents reasonable pay increases by restricting what can count for a productivity or cost saving to initiatives that are demonstrable, permanent and measurable.

"It prevents the possibility of making a new ATO enterprise agreement."

Technical union Professionals Australia also struck a congratulatory tone before suggesting a meeting to try to iron out "past difficulties" in the bargaining process.

"We would like to meet with you to discuss how we can work together to move past the difficulties in the current round of bargaining and place a renewed emphasis on expertise and experience in government," PA official Dave Smith wrote in his letter to the minister.

Senator Cash said on Tuesday afternoon that talks were a real possibility but added she had certain expectations of unions' behaviour.

"The government will always seek to engage constructively with unions," she said.

"The issues that Australia faces as a nation will require input from all Australians and the union movement will have a role to play in the national conversation."

"While I am happy to meet with representatives from the various unions, it is critical that the union movement takes its responsibilities seriously.

"This includes refusing to engage in misleading and provocative campaigns of misinformation, as we have unfortunately seen from some unions in recent times."