And the PSA survey said…

PSA members have resoundingly approved of the union's involvement in the Rights at Work campaign that was instrumental in the demise of the Howard Government.

An online survey of nearly 4,000 members conducted over the summer found that PSA members were enthusiastic about the Rights at Work campaign with awareness levels at almost 100 percent.

Ninety five percent watched the ads on television, 72 percent read about the campaign in Red Tape and 44 percent of all members who responded to the survey had signed the Rights At Work petition.

The survey asked about everything from job satisfaction, attitudes to the PSA, career intentions and local departmental issues to the Your Rights At Work campaign, voting habits and hours of work.

The PSA commissioned Essential Media Communications (EMC) to conduct the on-line survey.

The 30,000 members who have email addresses registered with the PSA were invited to be involved and then directed to the PSA's website at www.psa.labor.net.au to complete the survey.

The response was as astonishing as it was immediate.

The notice regarding the survey was distributed on a Friday and by midday the following Monday we had received over 2,000 replies.

"The response to the survey was fantastic," said PSA General Secretary, John Cahill. "We were delighted to have so many members respond so positively and that in turn will help determine the PSA's direction and efforts in the coming year."

"Not only was it clear that PSA members were very much aware and concerned about the rights at work issue but they acted on that concern and got behind the campaign which really made a difference in workplaces and the community generally."

That effort was reflected at the ballot box with around two thirds of the PSA membership naming industrial relations as one of the top three issues that decided their vote at the Federal Election. In fact, it was the number one issue for 40 percent of members.

The research found that PSA members also expect a lot of and from the newly elected politicians in Canberra.

Primarily, there was the expectation that Kevin Rudd will get rid of WorkChoices as promised and move quickly to properly restore the rights at work that were stripped away by the Howard Government.

While the Rudd Government moved decisively just before Easter to honour its commitment to dump WorkChoices, that doesn't mean that the PSA intends to put its efforts, energies and commitment in relation to rights at work into storage.

"Members told us again and again that they want us out there fighting to improve wages and conditions and we certainly won't be easing back now that there is a Federal Labor Government," said John Cahill.

When it came to the public sector as a whole, the outlook of PSA members however appeared somewhat grim.

Three quarters said they are finding it harder to get on top of their workload and are concerned that resources are so stretched that some tasks are falling through the cracks.

This is probably why "maintaining the quality of public services" was ranked by members as the single most important issue facing the public sector at the moment.

Despite these frustrations in the workplace there is no doubt that PSA members are a dedicated bunch.

More than 70 percent regularly work overtime and almost 80 percent expect to work the rest of their career in the public service regardless of the obvious challenges facing the sector.

Around half of respondents said they were constantly looking for new career opportunities within the public service.

Most PSA members were also extremely supportive of the Public Interest: Job Cuts = Service Cuts campaign waged in the lead up to the State election last year.

When asked "should the PSA continue to run campaigns that advocate for public sector jobs and services" more than 95 percent said "yes".

In response to this, the PSA will be revamping the Services First campaign by targeting service areas, conducting research on a department by department basis and making sure that specific issues in each department are brought into the public eye so that politicians can't ignore the concerns of members.

"The PSA expects the Iemma Government to delivery on its election promise and protect public sector jobs and services," said John Cahill. "They will, it seems, continue to need some prompting and so it is important that we keep job and service issues that are of concern to members at the forefront of the community and the Government's mind through the Services First campaign. To that end, members who are willing to stand up and be counted and are prepared to voice their concerns will be vital."