Hi all,
Sometime in the very near future, I will be joining one of the larger Federal Government departments in an EL1 role. I’ve only ever worked in the private sector, so it’s going to be a bit of a culture shock, I’m sure.
A question for those in the know – is joining a union compulsory? Is it advisable? Is it looked upon favourably when being considered for promotion, or looked down upon and a career-staller? My preference is to not join a union if I can avoid it, but I accept that it might be impossible to avoid.
Sorry for the odd questions but I don’t actually know very many public servants.
Ta! Wedge.
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What’s Your opinion?
Joining a union in the APS?
I find it surprising that a leader of lemmings at EL1 level has to ask if it’s compulsory? It’s pretty basic knowledge that it is not compulsury.
cmdwedge said :
Nothing that could be proven when push came to shove, but for a few “interstate” work trips with cash in hand expenses, a head could be turned the wrong way.
No longer relevant and pointless. Save your money.
f4te said :
That’s funny. Myself and quite a few others were representatives, and completely independant of unions, during my department’s most recent enterprise bargaining round. The Fair Work Act now allows non-union reps in on the bargaining.
Duffbowl said :
What do you mean by low-level corruption? That sort of thing really puts me off.
Can I suggest if you do join to not join the CPSU, but look at APESMA or ACS instead, which is more approriate to people with IT skills. They offer the same kind of support a union does, without the hounding. Or if the CPSU person hounds you, just say you are an APESMA member 🙂 I’m still a member basically because my Gold APESMA AMEX is fee free, and a few other discounts, plus tax deductions mean the annual fee works out to be minimal.
It is a non-issue in the general APS workplace.
That said, all my working life I had a principle of always belonging to the relevant union while working for someone else. At times I have drawn on and appreciated that support.
So when I started working in the APS I of course joined the CPSU.
Then the CPSU affiliated with the Labor Party. And I immediately quit them.
As long as that situation remains, I will not be a member of it, and I encourage others to likewise avoid them. [off soapbox]
Having worked in the APS for over 30yrs (with a few years of pvt sector in the middle – including work as a recruitment consultant – I can tell you that union membership is rarely considered in selection processes and the panel will not know or probably care if you are or aren’t a contributor.
However, I can tell you that at the lower levels, being a union delegate certainly helped me get promotion from APS1 to EL2 (promotion each year for about 8 years due to the skills and knowledge picked up via my union duties/experiences).
If your department is anything like mine these days, you are unlikely to hear anything about union membership from a delegate until enterprise bargaining time (or industrial action time).
I used to be a member of the CPSU for awhile when I was a pube, more out of solidarity and upbringing than a requirement of the job. Watching the bulls*** that happened, with the union more interested in boosting numbers than actually helping members, low level corruption of the site reps, and a bit too chummy relationship with management, caused me to resign. Never looked back, and didn’t hurt my career.
It is an odd question, truth be told. I have never heard anything positive or negative related to joining the Union until our last agreement negotiation. I joined at that point in case it came down to workplace action. Basically I wanted the higher moral ground if it came to striking…
Who am I kidding, I just wanted a valid excuse to strike and get paid. Apparently you still get paid if you are in the union. I don’t know how!
That said, you don’t get any extra protection, you do get a lanyard (sometimes) but the biggest benefit I have found is the tax break you get amounting to the full annual membership costs, even if you don’t pay them (snide giggle).
f4te said :
Yet everyone generally benefits. GG.
Thanks all. Will there likely be a union rep at my desk, hounding me to join? I’m in the IT sector and haven’t had that happen before, I don’t think we even have a union rep on site here. Not a very union-y work sector I guess.
Do people inside the Department know who is and isn’t a member of a union? When applying for a promotion in a year or so, will the panel members know, and is it possible that they will care?
It’s advisable, but not compulsory. Only union people get a say in their work conditions come EA bargaining time. It won’t play any part in your ability for a promotion. It’s also tax deductible!
What they said. Not compulsory and not an issue these days.
It not compulsory, not worth the bother, and not cared about…
Before Rudd came into power there was a bit more pressure to conform (depending upon the Dept), but I’ve managed to steer through my career apolitically – it’s what the APS should be about, and it’s also good to not be a card carrying member when the inevitable culls occur…