Work stoppages will affect travellers, visa processing

IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? A union covering employees of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and Customs and Border Protection is planning intermittent work stoppages 15 to 26 June.

What does the change mean? The stoppages may delay international travellers at several airports and reduce services at government agencies, including visa processing.

• Implementation time frame: 15 – 26 June.
• Visas/permits affected: All visas.
• Who is affected: International travellers, visa applicants and others accessing services of DIBP, CBP and other public sector agencies.
• Impact on processing times: Customers should anticipate delays in processing.
• Business impact: The series of half-day strikes may cause business interruption over the next two weeks.
• Next steps: A list and schedule of airports affected is below. The Government is publishing regular updates at www.customs.gov.au and www.immi.gov.au.

Background: The Community and Public Sector Union is taking the protected industrial actions to protect members’ pay and benefits after the federal budget called for further cuts in public sector jobs. The industrial agreement is due to expire 30 June and a proposed agreement has been circulated to employees for an upcoming vote.

These airports will be affected by the strikes on the following dates:

Sydney: 16 and 18 June
Perth: 18 June
Darwin: 18 June
Brisbane: 24 June
Gold Coast: 24 June
Melbourne: 25 June
Adelaide: 26 June
Cairns: 26 June

BAL Analysis: DIBP is taking contingency measures to minimise the impact on services; nevertheless, businesses, travellers and visa applicants should plan for delays in the coming weeks.

This alert has been provided by BAL Australia. For additional information, please contact australia@bal.com.

MARN: 9683856

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