Bosses at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have conceded that their 800 public servants have been treated unfairly in the agency's protracted enterprise bargaining process.
But Commissioner Rod Simms has issued a plea for an end to industrial action by ACCC and Australian Energy Regulator workers and has resorted to issuing personal guarantees in a bid to get them to accept a deal offered under the Coalition's hardline industrial relations policy.
But some of the public servants at the two authorities say they feel betrayed that their work, in saving consumers billions of dollars from price-gouging corporations, has not been recognised with a fair pay deal.
A Senate committee has been told ACCC and AER workers believe the government has abused its power, taking nearly two years to even offer them a new deal and banning back pay, effectively freezing their wage.
Mr Simms has asked employees of the watchdog agency to trust him and offered them guarantees they would fare no worse than any other public servants if they agree to accept a deal similar to one they crushed by nearly 80 per cent in a workplace ballot in march.
As the agencies prepare to vote again, a circular sent out to ACCC and AER employees from management has pleaded with them to abandon the industrial action they had been taking, warning of damage to the commission's culture if they continued with their protests.
"While many employees are deeply upset about the delay, the process (especially early on) and the unfairness of not having had a pay rise for so long, increased industrial disputation is likely to damaging and potentially leave our employees and our culture worse off," the circular read.
"We hope that employees will feel that the best way is to look forward with a yes-Vote."
But a submission to a Senate inquiry examining the whole-of-public service bargaining saga that is now entering its fourth year reveals the sense of betrayal felt by some workers at the ACCC over their treatment.
Non-union bargaining representative Esmond Smith told a Senate Committee last month that ACCC and AER staff often took on high-stakes legal work on behalf of the community against multi-billion corporations.
"The highly disrespectful approach of the government to bargaining over wages and conditions being put to ACCC and AER staff, one of essentially accept it or get another job, seems unlikely to motivate their staff to work hard to achieve the best outcomes for the community," Mr Smith wrote.
He told the senators that the ACCC and the AER had become a divided workplace with friction between rank-and-file staff and management as well as ill-feeling between workers who backed industrial action and those who were against strike action.
"The need to take industrial action in an attempt to receive a fair offer is causing internal conflict for staff where their own interests are put in direct conflict with the interests of the community.
"Unfortunately, they are being put in this position in order to protect themselves from an employer abusing their position of power.
"The need to take industrial action in an attempt to receive a fair offer is causing internal conflict for staff where their own interests are put in direct conflict with the interests of the community.
"Unfortunately, they are being put in this position in order to protect themselves from an employer abusing their position of power."
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