The immigration department has defended its decision to send staff home as part of an ongoing industrial dispute with Australian Border Force staff as a “legitimate response”.
On Wednesday the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) said Australian Border Force staff involved in a lengthy dispute over pay and conditions had been stood down without pay, despite the approval of industrial action by the Fair Work Commission.
About 500 staff from the shipping and freight areas of the newly merged agency attended stop-work meetings as part of the dispute. The CPSU said staff were protesting over potential pay cuts of $8,000 a year.
A strike planned for Monday as part of the same dispute is expected to significantly disrupt air travel.
The immigration department has disputed a number of the CPSU’s responses, and said this week’s industrial action was a “concerted effort” to delay the release of goods.
“The department does not see these actions as minor limited work bans when it goes to the heart of the department’s obligation to keep the flow of trade moving while addressing community risk,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.
It also disputed the union’s comments about conditions.
“The CPSU continues with the line that many staff will lose $8,000. The department had previously proposed restructuring a range of operational allowances which included the introduction of the new ABF allowance to replace a range of role specific allowances,” it said.
“The restructure of allowances would significantly benefit some employees while others might experience some reduction where allowances were proposed to cease.”
The spokeswoman said the CPSU was asking its members to “take active steps to slow down the movement and release of goods” by holding and referring cargo and then delaying release.
“No employees will be sent home, but the department is not prepared to pay employees for partial performance duties.”
The immigration department said the ban “could also lead to a breach of Australia’s robust border security arrangements”.
“Under these circumstances, the department simply cannot stand by and watch the CPSU’s intended impacts being imposed on the community without exercising the legitimate responses authorised by the Fair Work Act,” the spokeswoman said.
The CPSU said on Thursday industrial action would continue and members would not be intimidated.
CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said in a statement: “This ill-conceived decision by Immigration and Border Force management to try to intimidate workers has backfired spectacularly, adding to the anger of our members and exacerbating the impact for business and the public.
“Workers have to be pretty angry to give up on a full day’s pay, let alone more. In this case we’ve got members who are prepared to be stood down yesterday, today, tomorrow and then walk out during Monday’s department-wide 24-hour strike that will also hit airports.”
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This article was amended on Thursday 5 November to clarify that the immigration department viewed its own actions as a “legitimate response”.
