South Australia:
Public servants march on Parliament

Workers at Adelaide's Land Titles Office (LTO) stopped work last week 
and marched on State Parliament House after receiving threats of pay cuts 
in reprisal for current industrial action. LTO management had threatened 
that employees would suffer pay cuts if they continued to participate in 
industrial action as part of the SA State employees pay dispute.

Last week the State Liberal Government of Premier John Olsen unsuccessfully 
sought an interim injunction from the Industrial Relations Court against 
the union and individual workers at the LTO, to prevent further industrial 
action there.

The industrial action, which has been prompted by long-standing grievances 
such as pay disparities, is said to have been particularly effective at the 
LTO, which is a key revenue-raiser for the State Government.

The matter is now to be heard as a full-blown industrial relations case, 
with the union and LTO workers accused of being in breach of an Enterprise 
Bargaining Agreement.

The Olsen Government has remained tight-lipped about the matter from the 
outset. And this, says the Union, is the essence of the problem.

The Government, having actually provoked the dispute through its obstinate 
refusal to negotiate, has now declared that it will not negotiate unless 
all industrial action is terminated.

The matter is due to be heard this week, with a judgement expected to be 
handed down on Thursday.