All Bureau forecast and warning services are up-to-date

05/05/2015

The Bureau of Meteorology is continuing to deliver all forecast and warning services during industrial action which some staff members started today as part of an Enterprise Agreement process.

The Bureau’s head of Hazards Warnings and Forecasts, Dr Ray Canterford, said our highest priority is to continue to deliver timely forecasts and warnings as we are required to do by law.

“We have a number of well-established contingencies in place to ensure that critical services provided by the Bureau, including the issuing of forecasts and warnings, can continue to be delivered for the safety and security of the Australian public,” he said.

Dr Canterford noted that the Community and Public Sector Union has provided an undertaking that they ‘will not endanger the safety of people or property in relation to the Bureau’s response to severe weather situations or the provision of aviation, defence and space weather services’, for some of their protected actions and that CPSU members had been asked by their leaders ‘not to continue with an action if members were in doubt about a particular action’ in relation to safety.

“Unions involved have agreed to give sufficient warning to allow the Bureau to prepare for the impact of various protected action, and while the actions may be disruptive at times, we expect to fully deliver forecasts and warnings during any future industrial action,” Dr Canterford said.