Ranger Deal Collapses
Deliberate interference by the Baillieu Government was behind the collapse of Parks Victoria pay talks before Fair Work Australia, CPSU Victorian Secretary Karen Batt said today.

Ms Batt said, ‘after waiting twelve months, Parks’ management finally produced a new pay proposal that seeks savings 4 times greater than the additional one per cent increase being offered over the proposed three year life of the Agreement.’

‘Entitlements for Rangers would be stripped with no backdating of increases to recognise the agreement expiry last May and this was presented before the Fair Work tribunal as a serious attempt by a Government agency to settle our long running pay dispute.’

‘It was again abundantly clear that Treasury and Finance led by Minister Clark were playing everyone as fools leaving Parks Victoria to present this contemptuous position and still say the bargaining was in good faith,’ she said.

Ms Batt said, ‘the Baillieu Government was deliberately exploiting bargaining deficiencies in the Fair Work legislation to starve Rangers into accepting an inferior outcome.’

‘The Tribunal agreed that there was no prospect of the parties reaching agreement through this process, with this kind of offer on the table.’

‘Parks would now be closed indefinitely as Rangers are forced to continue protected action in the face of the Baillieu Government’s disinterest in their work.’

‘Aren’t Rangers who protect and maintain our natural environment worth the same as other Baillieu employees?’ she said.

Parks employs 1100 staff at 100 national, state, marine and urban parks from Orbost to Ouyen, from Nelson to Numurkah and across metropolitan Melbourne, and manages a diverse estate covering more than four million hectares, about the size of Switzerland or 18 per cent of Victoria.

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MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

CPSU State Secretary Karen Batt on 0418 55 29 25 or
CPSU Media and Communications Manager Julian Kennelly on 0417 541 789.

Monday, 4 June 2012