The Community and Public Sector Union has released a special guide for members wanting to know more about the claim for improved pay and conditions.

With current workplace agreements expiring at the end of June this year, National Secretary of the CPSU Nadine Flood says a new arrangement must continue to protect job security, employment conditions and workers' rights.

“Improving job security will prevent the loss of experienced staff, protect services and help regional areas already struggling with job losses,” Ms Flood said.

“We also want to ensure that workloads are manageable and the Australian Public Service (APS) has conditions which will continue to attract and retain good people.”

The CPSU says it wants anted no forced redundancies; protection of existing redundancy rights; improved redeployment arrangements including job swaps; better consultation; broad expression of interest processes for voluntary redundancy and no “spill and fill” processes.

Criticisms of the hiring and firing system for the public sector have been broad.

Most recently, insiders have raised the issue of rights for the large amount people carrying out government work on a long-term or back-to-back contract basis. Some workers say they fill the functions of public service without the appropriate protections.

More information on the union’s push to better protect its members is available here.