Qld: Union fires up for industrial action before election

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2000
Qld: Union fires up for industrial action before election

By Rosemary Desmond

BRISBANE, Dec 12 AAP - Wage disparity could provoke industrial action and further destabilise
the embattled Beattie government in the lead-up to next year's state election.

Gordon Rennie, secretary of the Queensland Public Sector Union (QPSU), said the government
had a "moral obligation" to give public servants a pay increase similar to the 14.7 per
cent handed to teachers by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission last Friday.

Public servants have been awarded a 10 per cent rise over three years.

Mr Rennie admitted that was "a good agreement", but a QPSU executive meeting last night
voted to seek a "catch-up" rise of about four per cent to bring public servants in line
with teachers.

"We have a situation where quite a lot of public sector workers aren't getting the
same money," he told journalists.

Mr Rennie was seeking urgent talks with Premier Peter Beattie about the pay catch-up
while at the same preparing for an industrial campaign.

Mr Rennie said the executive would meet again on February 19 to discuss the union's next moves.

A state election must be held by the middle of next year and the government is still
reeling from revelations of alleged electoral rorting by senior party officials and MPs
at the Shepherdson Inquiry.

Asked if Mr Beattie was likely to go to the polls with the bulk of the public service
offside, Mr Rennie replied: "That's correct".

Andrew Craig, chief executive of the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said
the claim for wage parity by the QPSU could lead to a rash of claims by other unions.

"If the Public Sector Union does that, it's highly likely that other elements of the
workforce, and certainly the unionised workforce, will see fit to make the same sorts
of claims," Mr Craig told ABC radio today.

"That ... has the prospect of flowing this increase across the vast majority or a good
portion of the workforce," he said.

AAP rad/jhm/mjm/de

KEYWORD: TEACHERS QLD (CARRIED EARLIER)

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