Union seeks pay equity for outsourced ATO call centre staff ahead of landmark hearings

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has lodged reply submissions in support of a Fair Work Commission case arguing that outsourced Australian Taxation Office (ATO) call centre workers should receive the same pay and conditions as public service employees. The union contends that outsourced staff perform core duties using the same systems, equipment, policies, and procedures as ATO employees, challenging the classification of the work as a specialised outsourced service.

Union national secretary Melissa Donnelly called on the Albanese government to direct the ATO to bring the work in-house. She described the call centre operations as core ATO work currently performed by profit-driven firms that underpay staff. Donnelly stated that while millions of Australians are doing their taxes, they need to speak to fully trained and trusted public sector employees rather than outsourced workers receiving inferior conditions.

The ATO is set to face landmark “same job, same pay” hearings in the coming month. The dispute centres on whether the work performed by contract staff constitutes a core public service function that warrants parity with internal employees. The CPSU has submitted that labour hire companies are wrongly claiming they provide a specialised service and value for money, despite the operational similarities to public sector roles.

A call centre worker has alleged that his outsourced colleagues are paid up to 40% less than their public service counterparts. This figure is presented as an individual account rather than a verified statistic, but it highlights the disparity in remuneration that the union seeks to address through the Fair Work Commission process.

The CPSU argues that the current outsourcing model results in inferior pay and conditions for workers who are effectively performing the same role as government employees. The union’s submission seeks to rectify what it views as a misclassification of labour, ensuring that those handling tax inquiries receive equitable treatment comparable to their in-house counterparts.