Customs and Border Protection industrial action

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dfcatch said:
The only good thing from this "may" be that the union wakes up and realises that it loses public support at a dramatic rate when it pulls BS like this.

IMHO - sack them all. If they don't want the job - there's plenty of unemployed people who do.
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Mr Dfcatch, get your facts right. They were not on strike on Friday. And sacking them is exactly what the current Government is trying to do (see post above).

[edit: Dfcatch - posted this before I saw your response]

And the unemployed? Wake up people... Australia is going through a labour and skills shortage. My workplace (APS) has been trying recruit economist, accountants and lawyers since I joined 3 years ago (4 rounds so far and another on the way) but has not been able to meet the numbers. Who wants to join the APS for 60K when they can get similar jobs in the private sector for 100K+? And there's nothing my workplace can do to offer higher wages due to the ridged pay structure of the APS.

[On a serious note, if anyone with an economics, accountant or law background and want to join the APS, DM me - we're recruiting soon again. Only issue is that it's CBR based and must be willing to undertake domestic/international travel at short notice - though I don't think the latter will be an issue with anyone here:cool:]
 
anchew said:
Mr Dfcatch, get your facts right. They were not on strike on Friday. And sacking them is exactly what the current Government is trying to do (see post above).

[edit: Dfcatch - posted this before I saw your response]

And the unemployed? Wake up people... Australia is going through a labour and skills shortage. My workplace (APS) has been trying recruit economist, accountants and lawyers since I joined 3 years ago (4 rounds so far and another on the way) but has not been able to meet the numbers. Who wants to join the APS for 60K when they can get similar jobs in the private sector for 100K+? And there's nothing my workplace can do to offer higher wages due to the ridged pay structure of the APS.

[On a serious note, if anyone with an economics, accountant or law background and want to join the APS, DM me - we're recruiting soon again. Only issue is that it's CBR based and must be willing to undertake domestic/international travel at short notice - though I don't think the latter will be an issue with anyone here:cool:]
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The Customs service is recruiting currently as well.

So it's not all about downsizing.

For skilled workers (such as above) you're right, it's very difficult for the APS (or any level of government) to attract the best and brightest. Or as you say - simply the required quantum of workers.

But it's not the economists, accountants and lawyers going on strike now is it?
 
anchew said:
Who wants to join the APS for 60K when they can get similar jobs in the private sector for 100K+? And there's nothing my workplace can do to offer higher wages due to the ridged pay structure of the APS.
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of course WA PS has offered upto a 40% retention bonus in my area. So there is always ways around rigid pay structures. Then again who wants to live in Perth?
 
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See Fad Surfing and 'Us Speak'. Ref: http://booko.com.au/products/9780201441956 . I like this author.
Are we going to reduce charges and taxes for this 'lesser' service?

Source: Budget Measures 2011-12 - Budget Paper No. 2 - Part 2: Expense Measures - Attorney‑General's

What this means is operational sabotage by 'administrators' . Queue length, mean waiting time , deviations are hard statistics. Tell that to the Japanese passenger who waited 2 hours on a three day holiday, who then tells his friends and work 'quality circle'. Unlike 'Other' destinations, Australia is long haul. We need to revive zonked pax. Ask a question: quantify the time increase and quantify the estimated $$$ drop in tourism, and the multiplier effect.

A similar 'Us speak' is Electricity/rate/Toll increase 'in line' with inflation. I think the unions should push that 'in line' phrase hard.

These operational sacrifices occur everywhere - except PR consultants and Question Time doughboys for ministers and apprentice ministers, who are twiddling for a 100% increase with no productivity increase, and where 80% vote on party lines without trying to read what they are voting on - with defined retirement payouts that was abolished for ordinary scum workers. Leading by example - not.

The saving will come from Face Detection lanes, where the solution DID NOT meet requirements, so the recognition software has been watered down to stop the huge false positive rate.

So support the customs guys, use the the automatic photo approximation lanes.
 
FlyboyAl said:
Putting aside the pay issue, I flew out of Sydney on Friday,
The customs queues in Sydney were horrendous and stretched well into the main international departure check in area. I was already late on the flight from ADL-SYD, despite QF changing my flight to an earlier flight which was subsequently delayed for over an hour.:mad:

I managed to sweet talk a QF staff member into giving me an express pass (I was only in Y) which meant that I got into the express queue which was only about 20M into the departure area!!!!!!

I won't comment on the LACK of customs staff at the desks (particularly priority lanes) to process the huge queues of passengers - many of whom were becoming VERY distressed about missing connections and flights.
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anchew said:
Wow... and they weren't on strike on Friday. Just imagine how worse the line would have been if they did :shock:. It would have been absolute chaos. Thankfully, every time I've transited Sydney it's been quite.

It seems that this year's budget cuts are starting to hurt passengers. I was taken back when I saw this in the budget papers this year (yes I know - APS geek :mrgreen:) but it seemed to have gone under the radar. How can they cut front line workers without hurting travelers? And this line was a cracker:
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I will comment on the lines in Sydney on Friday.

At around 1115 the Express line was taking about 25 min and had two people doing the processing. The normal line, at our end, seemed to have thousands of people in it and had one person doing the processing. There were about 8 other staff standing around talking and generality ignoring the masses.
 
Bill, I have to disagree with you about how many were doing the Priority queue!
It was 2!
They were talking to each other the whole time they did my passport!
My guess was that I took about 35 to 40 mins in the express queue at about 11am.
We were also held up for about 10-15 mins holding at the end of the domestic arrivals terminal while a 747 and 330 pushed back and waiting for someone to come and drive the airbridge, so it just all added up to a big problem.
 
FlyboyAl said:
Bill, I have to disagree with you about how many were doing the Priority queue!
It was 2!
They were talking to each other the whole time they did my passport!
My guess was that I took about 35 to 40 mins in the express queue at about 11am.
We were also held up for about 10-15 mins holding at the end of the domestic arrivals terminal while a 747 and 330 pushed back and waiting for someone to come and drive the airbridge, so it just all added up to a big problem.
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And this is why management need to come out and 'feel' the process themselves, do a Bob Ansett.
One guess: They started work at 6.30 to 7am and had to take a compulsory break after 5 hours.
In which case they should do it out of sight like bank tellers at lunchtime. Rather than get bitten by the oh&s people and declare a 'war' status, they stand by and 'loose reputation' by spades.
There may be other reasons, but that operational failure has been called - its not the first time. not the last. See if QF management agree that there is nothing wrong with a 'tea break' in the middle of battle.


Someone take a photo, circle the active and non-active reps, and post a letter to QF asking for an explanation. If that don't work, see if 'Sunday Telegraph' willing to put it on the front page.
 
Customs staff don't work for qantas. No point asking qantas management.
 
UPDATE:

The planned industrial action for Saturday 8 Oct has been cancelled.

Industrial action has been planned for Thursday 13 Oct depending on how negotiations go next Tuesday. No other information have been provided yet.

I'll post more details here once I get any.

[It seems that negotiations have been positive - better than how Qantas' is going ;)]
 
Is there any news locally about any strike action after Monday?

Not hearing much over here in the US - its all Michael Jackson trial, death of steve jobs or the bird who was released from prison in Italy. Mind you we all know there is nothing in the world outside the US anyway.
 
cbp said:
UPDATE:

The planned industrial action for Saturday 8 Oct has been cancelled.

Industrial action has been planned for Thursday 13 Oct depending on how negotiations go next Tuesday. No other information have been provided yet.

I'll post more details here once I get any.

[It seems that negotiations have been positive - better than how Qantas' is going ;)]
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I'm looking forward to an update as we are due to fly in on Thursday. :confused:
 
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