With 30,000 members under our Victorian Public Service Agreement in an arbitration process on predominately wages before Fair Work Australia, industrial trouble is now shifting to a raft of mirror and nexus agreements where bargaining is stalled because Agencies are crying poor with only the State Government's paltry 2.5% pay increase on offer.

VicSES, Parks, and Parliament are three such agencies where bargaing has hit a stalemate at 2.5% Govt offer only.

VicSES members have now voted for protected action with a list of bans and limitations to commence shortly.

Parliament members have had their protected action ballot ordered by Fair Work with action pending.

Parks members are finalising their vote to extend protected action beyond park closures to now include reduction burn bans.

All these Agreements expired in the middle of 2011 and frustrated employees are voting in overwhelming numbers to to take protected action to advance their claims for a just and reasonable pay outcome.

Six (6) Arts Agencies Agreements which all expired last year are also backlogged including Museum, State Library, Film Vic, ACMI, and NGV.

The Govt must submit the witness statements and evidence they rely on to Fair Work by 23/3 in our VPS Agreement arbitration and were still arguing at 2.75% p.a. based on their initial outline.