IT professionals at DXC Technology, represented by Professionals Australia and the Australian Services Union, have again overwhelmingly rejected the company's proposed enterprise agreement and will escalate protected industrial action, with the workers who keep the Australian Taxation Office mainframe running beginning a three-day stop-work that started at midnight, 1 July.
Professionals Australia CEO Sam Roberts said the timing coincides with the opening of tax time, when the ATO's core systems are under their heaviest load of the year, as millions of Australians start preparing their tax returns.
“Employees at DXC have voted down the company's latest offer by almost three to one, with 387 voting no and 137 voting yes.
"The result is an emphatic rejection of an offer that stripped back hard-won conditions even as DXC continued to make massive profits from their work.”
Mr Roberts said the escalation follows a bargaining dispute in which DXC has repeatedly failed to deal fairly with its employees and continues to act in bad faith.
"These are the professionals who keep the ATO's mainframe running at its busiest time. They have been underpaid for years as the company and CEO make off like bandits. Then DXC has the gall to demand its employees accept cuts to their conditions."
DXC recently confirmed employees had been underpaid since at least 2017. The Unions say DXC knew since at least 2023 but only acted once Unions moved to escalate through the Fair Work Commission.
"Rather than treat workers fairly, DXC has instead engaged strike-breakers to undermine lawful protected industrial action and removed agreed-upon clauses within the agreement," said Mr Roberts.
Long-time DXC employee Antolin Feria is facing a massive cut in pay if DXC does not reinstate key conditions in the agreement.
"After more than 15 years in the Mainframe Team supporting the ATO online systems, the new proposed agreement is reducing my weekly standby pay by more than half.”
Mr Roberts said it was time for DXC to come to the bargaining table with a fair and reasonable offer.
“Instead of playing games, it's time DXC showed the workers who make the company a success some respect, and came to the bargaining table with a sensible offer that acknowledges the value of these highly skilled professionals.”
Contact details:
Darren Rodrigo 0414 783 405
