Employer Pulls Plug on Unionists

Date: 24 March 2000

Western Australia?s Education Department has blocked all electronic mail sent by the Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association to members working in the agency.

CPSU/CSA Branch Secretary Dave Robinson said the tactic was a deliberate attempt to restrict Union access to it members. There was no prior consultation or notification.

Union Delegates were also threatened with possible disciplinary action if they globally e-mailed CPSU/CSA information.

Mr Robinson said management was obviously prepared to go to any lengths to stop the Union organising within the Department and the strategy would not go unchallenged.

The Union also believes health and safety representatives have been denied access to safety-related information and this was a clear breach of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

"This is one of the most flagrant attacks on the right of our Union to organise with members ever mounted by a government agency," Mr Robinson said.

When the matter was raised in WA Parliament this week by Australian Democrats leader Helen Hodgson, the Government claimed the e-mail was causing message delays on the Department?s mail server.

The CPSU/CSA has rejected this claim, claiming the Department itself routinely sends bulk e-mails to its entire workforce.

For further information

Contact:	CPSU/CSA
Union:	Western Australian Unions
Phone:	08 9323 3800
Email:	mw@cpsucsa.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.cpsucsa.asn.au

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