We know – another bulletin from the union about your rights whilst engaging in industrial action. However, it has been brought to our attention that Serco have been sending out emails warning of the ‘consequences’ of protected industrial action and requesting that members let them know what they’re doing for the stoppage next week. On that basis, we thought it would be a good time to remind people of what legislation says with respect to your rights.
Absolutely not. The whole point of taking protected industrial action is to disrupt the operation of the prison. There is no obligation for you to let Serco know whether you intend on striking next week, and they have no right to ask.
Again, the answer is no. Serco is clearly grasping at straws and scaremongering. If Serco weren’t worried about the 48-hour strike next week then they wouldn’t be going around asking people what they plan on doing and warning of ‘consequences’. This is a good sign – our plan to take protected industrial action next week is clearly having the desired effect.
We’ve heard rumours that Serco has been saying that the union cancelled yesterday’s meeting, and not Serco. The thing about modern technology and emails is that once you put something in writing you can’t just pretend that you never said it and subsequently change the narrative to suit your own agenda. On that note, this is the email that Serco sent to the union on Wednesday afternoon:
We hope that clarifies a few things for members. Of course, if you have any questions regarding the above, feel free to get in touch by sending an email to , , or . Alternatively, you can call the CPSU NSW on 1300 772 679.
