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Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo is the target of a campaign led by public sector union members pushing for an overhaul of the department's leadership. A statement of no confidence in Mr Pezzullo and his senior leaders started circulating among staff on Tuesday as Community and Public Sector Union delegates and members began collecting signatures from those backing change to the department's top ranks. The extraordinary petition calls for an end to years of "waste, mismanagement and chaos" at the Home Affairs Department, formerly Immigration and Border Protection. "Current government policies are hurting staff and our work, clearly policy change is required," it says. "The secretary, Mr Michael Pezzullo, and his executive must be held responsible for actively driving the intolerable situation that has developed, with constant attacks on staff. "We have no confidence that at this late date, the secretary and his executive can rectify the situation." A Department of Home Affairs spokeswoman said the union was attempting to give copies of a statement to public servants entering some of its buildings on Thursday. "In relation to participation of employees in action posed by the CPSU, we are confident that ours is a professional workforce that will abide by the code of conduct and Australian Public Service values and will exercise appropriate judgement and discretion when considering their response to the CPSU's campaign," the spokeswoman said. The statement is circulating as a federal election nears and polls point to a change in government, which could bring an overhaul to the bureaucracy's senior leadership. The document, expected to gain signatures over four weeks, calls for a response from the Prime Minister and opposition leader. It lists multiple criticisms and raises cuts to pay and conditions for staff following a protracted and bitter round of workplace bargaining that included strikes and ended this year with the closure of a marathon Fair Work Commission arbitration. Among the complaints aimed at Mr Pezzullo and other senior leaders are the five-year wage freeze brought on by the prolonged workplace dispute, pay cuts including for public servants in remote offices, and the loss of family-friendly conditions accessible to other bureaucrats. The document says Australian Border Force staff have lost unfair dismissal protections, while restructures, privatisation threats and staffing caps have made jobs insecure. Home Affairs denied the department created a wage freeze and said the union had campaigned against three of its workplace deal offers that included pay rises. "While it is correct that the department has been the subject of recent machinery of government changes, and supporting internal restructures, our staff understand the importance of organising ourselves in manner that is best placed to serve the government of the day," its spokeswoman said. The Community and Public Sector Union said the statement had a high early take-up, and both union members and non-members had put their name to the document. CPSU national president Alistair Waters said it received unanimous backing from union delegates. The union has not released signature numbers, but said it would when the bulk of Home Affairs staff had received the document. "The statement reflects what Immigration and Border Force staff have been saying to each other for some time and what they have been telling Mr Pezzullo and his executive for years through staff surveys," Mr Waters said. "Home Affairs staff demand a stop to the relentless attacks on staff and their job security, the restoration of their working conditions and take-home pay, respect for their rights and professionalism and ensuring the department has a stable and well supported workforce with the resources required to perform its vital duties." The statement tells staff they are protected by industrial laws when signing the document and that employers are prohibited from acting against them for making a complaint about their employment or engaging in lawful activities organised by a union. The union will not share the names of signatories with Home Affairs management, only the number of signatures. Public servants signing the statement will not be in breach of the public service code of conduct, the document says. Mr Waters said the union had obtained legal advice about the statement. "We are very comfortable that the statement doesn’t raise any issues around impartiality," he said.

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