The PSA continues to achieve PSA members’ highest priority objectives from this round of bargaining for the salaried enterprise agreement.

Job security, maintaining our effective redeployment systems and processes, retaining protections from and processes to deal with unreasonable workloads, and maintaining all conditions of employment have all been kept safe by the PSA in this round of bargaining so far.

This, in the face of an aggressive and hostile agenda from a government intent on cutting public services, sacking public servants and privatising essential public services.

Members should be proud of what we have achieved so far – but there is still a long way to go before this round of bargaining will produce an outcome that will satisfy PSA members.

The PSA has been following a well-considered strategy that is founded on membership and Worksite Representative engagement and involvement, and which was initially set, and has been repeatedly and unanimously confirmed by the PSA Council.

We have consistently put our position to government and regularly advised them they need to reconsider their harsh agenda for negotiations to proceed in a constructive manner.

While bargaining continues, the existing salaried enterprise agreement – SAMPSEAS – continues to apply in all respects. Bargaining will continue with the PSA’s objective of achieving an agreement that meets the needs of PSA members – and which is a genuine measure of the respect and dignity with which members should be treated at work.

There is no set time period within which enterprise agreements must be negotiated. Each bargaining round takes place in its own context and this round is no different. While COVID-19 has played a part, the main aim is securing the fundamental objectives members identified as important to them at the start.

PSA members must remain focussed on the main objective. That main objective is to achieve an agreement which meets members’ needs. If the objective was simply to conclude negotiations and finalise an agreement, that is something we could have done a year ago. However, it would have been an agreement without job security protections, no RRR (redeployment, retraining and redundancy), reduced consultation and limited dispute resolution provisions. We could have concluded an agreement – but it would have betrayed PSA members.

The PSA’s role has been to protect and pursue members’ interests – not to assist the government implement its anti-public sector and anti-public servant agenda.

At the end of the day, it will be PSA members standing firm and united who will determine the outcome of these negotiations. It will be PSA members who determine the content of an enterprise agreement which, after all, is a measure of the respect and dignity with which they are treated at work.