Union members employed at the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) have intensified their fight against proposed cuts to staff entitlements, but at a significant cost.

In their latest attempt to highlight the cost of a five-year battle against BoM management to hold on to certain working rights, staff covertly inserted a message about the pay dispute on a Melbourne weather forecast this week.

“Mostly cloudy. Areas of morning fog. Patches of light early morning frost in the Yarra Valley. Light winds,” the forecast read.

But it continued with: “Bureau staff have been fighting for years to hold on to the conditions we have, but they are under attack.

“This five-year pay freeze – while we defend our allowances and conditions – is hurting us and hurting our families. We love the work we do, we know you value it too. Please support us to get a fair deal.”

The forecast was deleted soon after appearing on BoM’s official website.

Members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) who work for BoM have relentlessly fought planned cuts to pay and working conditions.

Union members have launched a petition, ignited a trending social media campaign and intercepted live radio crosses and weather forecasts on its communication channels with messages about the pay dispute.

This comprises a “new series” of industrial action that has been “deliberately outward focused”, CPSU’s deputy secretary Beth Vincent-Pietsch said.

Melbournes coldest start to June since 1982, with an average minimum temp of less than 5C for the first 6 days. #5yearpayfreeze #SupportUs #BOMonSTRIKE #CPSU #auspol https://t.co/QKMcpRqoRA

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) June 5, 2018

In recent years, union members at BoM have taken strike action and protested the proposed cuts by choosing to not attend meetings, not answer phone calls and not respond to non-urgent media enquiries.

Staff have “personally sacrificed their own wages” to endure an ongoing wage freeze, Ms Vincent-Pietsch said.

BoM staff are not asking for a pay rise. They just want to “keep what they’ve got”, she explained.

Staff are sitting on conditions enshrined in an expired 2014 Executive Agreement because of a “rigid” and “unworkable” government bargaining policy, she added.

The wages of 1600 BoM employees have stayed at 2014 rates.

This follows three failed attempts to get the agreement of staff to renewed offers tabled by BoM management.

https://twitter.com/KieranBennett/status/1009207480994365440

Voting on a new Enterprise Agreement proposed by BoM will close on July 3.

“The proposed agreement provides a substantially front-loaded pay increase, protects core conditions, is financially sustainable and complies with the government’s Workplace Bargaining Policy,” BoM said in a statement.

“It enables the Bureau to continue to provide the critical services we provide to the Australian community in an affordable, sustainable way,” the statement read.

However CPSU has advised BoM workers to refuse the offer by voting ‘no’.

The recommended deal does not match the agreements that other government agencies have agreed upon with their workers, CPSU has argued.

“There’s some perception that the Bureau staff must be seeking something outrageous that for the dispute to have gone on this long,” Ms Vincent-Pietsch said.

But that is not the case, she said.

“We don’t want cuts to allowances.

“We don’t want to lose the material in the agreements that guarantee protections for shift workers and control over hours for people who work on a roster.

“We don’t want to lose our consultation provisions and we don’t want to lose our delegates rights.”

Ms Vincent-Pietsch said she understands those involved in taking industrial action are “tired” and have shown a “fair amount of bravery”.

But until BoM “improve their offer”, union members will continue to fight for a “fair deal”, she said.