This election, the future and integrity of your union is at stake.
Many PSA members across the public sector have expressed serious concern about the motivations, inexperience and intentions of the ‘PSA Change’ faction contesting this election.
The PSA Change candidates for Secretary and Assistant Secretary, Charlotte Watson and Celia Brougham, are brand new PSA members. They have never been PSA Worksite Representatives, have never volunteered their time to serve on your Council, and have no record of being active PSA members at all.
On the contrary, Charlotte and Celia both have long established histories of working in government industrial relations, acting for your employer. They have both worked in IRAP (the branch of government responsible for pursuing the government’s agenda in EB negotiations). They have also advocated for the employer in Tribunal cases against the PSA and our members.
During current negotiations for the next Salaried Enterprise Agreement, Charlotte and Celia have been working to actively undermine PSA members’ negotiating position through their conduct as ‘bargaining agents’; inducing members to walk away from your union, discouraging members from taking collective action, and putting forward bargaining positions which are contrary to PSA members’ democratically determined negotiating position.
Whose interests are Charlotte and Celia really serving by acting as ‘bargaining agents’, splitting off PSA members and putting claims that undermine PSA members’ agenda for negotiations and our fight for wage justice? Members have even reported that their local management are actively promoting PSA Change. Members in multiple departments have reported that their local management are arranging paid-time meetings for staff to meet with candidates from PSA Change, and pressuring them to attend even when members tell them they don’t want these meetings to happen. At the same time, managers are denying paid-time meeting requests from legitimate PSA Organisers, and attempting to direct legitimate PSA Worksite Representatives not to share PSA-authorised materials and information. Why would your employer get involved in something like this? Would your boss prefer you to have a strong union, or a weak and compliant union?
Charlotte and Celia also both have a known history of active ALP membership and involvement. As brand new PSA members, this contributes further to obvious concerns about where their true motivations, loyalties and ambitions lie.
PSA members know that no Government can be trusted to do the right thing by public servants. Both the ALP and Liberal Party have extensive track records of suppressing public sector wages, cutting public sector jobs, and privatising public services. It is crucial that the PSA always takes up the fight for our members, no matter who is in power – and this means remaining unaffiliated and fiercely independent of any political party.
This is a critical point of difference between the candidates for this election.
Protecting our union’s political independence is more important now than ever.
We know the Government is actively working to undermine the strength of our union – and trying to weaken our members by using tactics of division.
This disgraceful conduct can be seen in the Government’s efforts to “divide and conquer” PSA members by splitting up existing Enterprise Agreements in a move reminiscent of John Howard’s notorious Work Choices reforms; and in recent “union busting” tactics targeted at the unaffiliated PSA.
This government prefers to deal with weak and compliant unions – as evidenced by their conduct late last year, when they rammed through legislation to facilitate state registration for the ALP Right-affiliated Health Services Union – a union with a vested interest in privatisation, and whose objectives and behaviour have repeatedly undermined PSA members.
PSA Change’s Charlotte and Celia have publicly supported the HSU and the Government’s push for Work Choices-style separate agreements to divide and weaken the PSA membership, strip out conditions from PSA members, and make public sector workers more vulnerable.
This dangerous conduct is threatening the future of your union – and your rights at work. Those rights, like your hard-won job security (‘triple-R’) protections against job cuts and privatisation, have taken years of dedicated member action to achieve and maintain. They could all be gone at the stroke of a pen. Separate agreements also make it easier for those areas to be privatised in future.
Our entire PSA United team are absolutely committed to listening to members and keeping our union focused on what matters to you. We are relentless in our pursuit of members’ priorities – including in enterprise bargaining. Unlike PSA Change, our bargaining agenda was developed through in-depth consultation with our entire membership, and subsequently endorsed by our democratically-elected Council. Our team are firmly committed to pursuing your priorities, as identified through our comprehensive member consultation processes: wages, job protection, workloads, and improving conditions. PSA United will not be distracted or intimidated by others’ attempts to undermine your union. We will stand firm in our pursuit of significant wage increases as PSA members’ highest priority, and we will not sacrifice your hard-won conditions.
We have reason to be seriously concerned about PSA Change’s incentive to affiliate the PSA to the ALP. If this were to happen, it would mean that members’ money would be going to the Government – your employer – in the form of affiliation fees. It would also mean that members’ money would be used to promote the ALP and contribute to ALP political campaigns. ALP affiliation would make it harder for the PSA to speak out or fight back whenever the Government acts against our members’ interests, and would make it nearly impossible to advocate effectively to other political parties when needed – including when the ALP is not in Government.
We are the only unaffiliated leadership team running for PSA office: that means we are independent of any political influence with our only agenda to uphold workers’ rights to secure employment, pursue wage justice and improve working conditions.
We will continue to build workplace strength, and advocate for your interests and a powerful public sector with the frankness and fearlessness that PSA Change cannot.
PSA members across the public sector have also raised concerns about PSA Change’s alarming level of inexperience. Neither Charlotte nor Celia have ever been involved in the governance or day-to-day management of a union at all. They have never even served on PSA Council. They do not have experience, insight, or understanding of the realities of running a union.
Experience in union management matters. Unions are among the most highly regulated organisations in Australia, where non-compliance risks significant financial penalties and even de-registration. Navigating these legal complexities takes expertise and experience that cannot simply be learned on the fly, nor delegated. When one oversight can result in serious consequences, and when members’ fundamental rights hang in the balance, ensuring the stewardship of your union is in experienced, committed and capable hands is of paramount importance.
Our PSA United team have extensive hands-on experience and proven effectiveness in managing the full complexities of our union’s operations, and representing all members wherever they work. We continue to listen to members’ concerns and use our expertise and experience to maintain good union governance, lead the fight to protect and improve your working conditions, and guard against cuts and privatisation in the public sector.
We are proud of our team’s experience as committed long-term PSA members, Worksite Representatives and Councillors. Unlike other candidates in this election, our team have never represented the interests of employers or others seeking to deprive workers of their rights and dignity.
We have always known whose side we are on.