The Community and Public Sector Union has claimed the government's revised pay offer as a win, and announced it will recommend members accept the proposal.
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The Australian Public Service Commission's chief negotiator Peter Riordan on Thursday announced the government had made its "third and final" improvement to a pay offer of 11.2 per cent between 2024 and 2026.
The commission has proposed an additional one-off bonus to public servants, equivalent to 0.92 per cent of an employee's salary, for agencies which vote up their enterprise agreements in March.
The APSC says the bonus, calculated between December 21 and March 14, would effectively bring forward the first scheduled pay rise for public servants of 4 per cent - though it would not include superannuation. The total pay proposal remains 11.2 per cent between 2024 and 2026.
CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly endorsed the proposal on Thursday afternoon, saying the union had been able to negotiate an improved pay deal for public servants.
The union knocked back the 11.2 per cent offer in September, and expanded industrial action across several agencies, despite a poll of more than 15,000 members returning 51.9 per cent support.
"In our last membership poll, 52 per cent of members supported the package put forward by the government with feedback revealing that while members were happy with the conditions that had been negotiated, they thought the government could do better on pay," Ms Donnelly said in a statement.
"We had a narrow window to fight for a better pay deal where we would not be delaying bargaining outcomes, and we made the most of it."
![CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly said the union recommends the third offer. Pictrure by Elesa Kurtz CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly said the union recommends the third offer. Pictrure by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/143258707/5bdad48e-6a2a-4f83-b1a0-5c79597d3f30.jpg/r0_125_8054_4653_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The union has led strikes in Services Australia, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Fair Work Ombudsman and parts of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries since rejecting the pay offer.
It will now conduct a member poll on the latest proposal, taking the temperature on staff's reactions to the pay package.
"Together, CPSU members demanded more from the Albanese Government and together they have secured more," Ms Donnelly said.
"This is a package that will deliver APS employees strong, industry-leading conditions, improved pay and a financial boost without delay.
"The union recommends the overall package, noting it will deliver strong conditions and improved pay without delays."
The CPSU has the strongest membership across the APS, giving it the most concentrated bargaining power in talks.
Australian Services Union tax branch secretary Jeff Lapidos said he did not expect to recommend the deal to members.
"I think we will advise [that] we think it's inadequate. The offer does not address ATO salaries, having fallen [and] no longer being competitive against other APS agencies," he said on Thursday afternoon.
But Mr Lapidos has previously said that a pay deal would likely be voted in with CPSU backing, even in the tax office.
Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said the government was hopeful "this will allow us to provide hardworking public servants with a pay rise as soon as possible."
"The first round of bargaining includes an affordable pay rise, significant improvements to conditions, making sure we reduce pay fragmentation and makes substantial steps towards core APS conditions," she said in a statement to The Canberra Times.
"This is what we said we would do before coming to government and it's exactly what we have delivered."