I'm going on strike next week...

[Violet_Crumble]

Losing some pay's going to hurt me financially right now, and I don't think anything's going to change until the Abbott government is gone, but morally I can't cross a picket line and think this round of rolling stoppages by nearly all government agencies including the three largest (ATO, Defence and Human Services) will be more effective than each going on their own like they did a few weeks ago.

CPSU wages social media war as federal public servants take strike action

Work at Commonwealth offices was disrupted and customers were told to consider using online services on the first day of rolling strikes by federal public servants.

The Community and Public Sector Union confirmed 36,000 of its 57,000 members would be eligible to strike in the week from Thursday as it tried to pressure the Abbott government into offering better deals on pay and conditions.

CPSU members from 15 departments and agencies in NSW, Western Australia and the Northern Territory went on strike on Thursday afternoon.

CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said "this is only the beginning".

Meetings will be held in Coffs Harbour and Alice Springs on Friday and Tasmania on Monday before reaching Canberra on Tuesday.

The CPSU said there had been a strong turnout on day one.

Photos posted to social media by the union appeared to show that a Customs office in Western Australia was shut while a sign warned customers at Centrelink in Mirrabooka of delays because of industrial action.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/cpsu-wages-social-media-war-as-federal-public-servants-take-strike-action-20150618-ghrg5r.html

[SamKnause]

1. Solidarity

I hope you and your fellow workers are successful !!!

Unions rule.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. Thanks n/t

[TexasTowelie]

2. A rec, a kick, and solidarity that you and your fellow strikers achieve your goals.

I was a former state government employee and I know that when having government as your boss it sometimes means that you are treated as a second (and sometimes third) class citizen.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. I know exactly what you mean...

What I've experienced is the government doesn't like us and will use us as a scapegoat. And the public don't like us because in many cases they see us as being to blame for unpopular things the government does. I don't think that changes regardless of what side of politics is in government.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Be tough!

Win!

I hope to participate in something similar in the US one day, hopefully I'll get an opportunity!

[Violet_Crumble]

6. Thanks. Unions aren't as strong in the US as here, I take it?

One of the things that really surprised me when I first came across was there were DUers who hate unions. I've yet to meet an Australian left-winger who thinks unions are a bad thing.

Anyway, I hope you never have to have the opportunity to strike coz it means things are bad if they've got to that point. And I hope you never have arseholes like Tony Abbott as yr boss...

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Unions have been neutered by Republicans and Third Wayers

They're afraid to strike since Reagan fired the air traffic controllers for striking.

BTW, I'm not sure that one should consider a DUer who hates unions to be a left winger.

Good luck!

[Matilda]

4. I hope it will be effective.

Perhaps the workers will be able to do what the parliamentary wing of the party has failed to do - hold Abbott to account for his lies.

Go well, Violet.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. I don't think it will be...

There's more industrial action happening in July, but I think until Abbott and Abetz are gone there's going to be no compromise at all. I just saw on the news that in Canberra today there were between 6-7000 public servants who stopped work, and of those 1500 went to the stop work meeting.

I'm kind of torn on the industrial action. I understand why the CPSU keeps on stressing we're taking action that will try not to inconvenience the public, what with Centrelink, airports, and tax time coming up, but then I see comment sections in the Canberra Times and the Sydney Morning Herald where things get said like 'sack them all and give the jobs to people who want them!' and saying how lazy and spoilt public servants are, and I wish we could track them down and show them exactly how inconvenienced they'd be if we all stopped doing what we do. Grrrr....

[Fairgo]

5. Steady on...

Stand strong and good luck.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Thanks, fairgo. I think it's going to be a long drawn out campaign...

On the plus side, I got to sleep in this morning