A key ACT government directorate is set to cut more than 100 jobs, with the public sector union warning the move could lead to a loss of city services.
City and Environment Directorate director-general Dave Peffer said between 3 and 5 per cent of the workforce, or roughly 130 roles, had to be cut to manage budget pressures on Thursday, May 28.
"This is about ensuring we can afford the workforce we have in the City and Environment Directorate while continuing to deliver essential services to the Canberra community," he said.
"Participation in the program is entirely voluntary. There's no obligation for team members to apply or accept an offer.
"Teams won't be expected to do more with less. We'll work with affected teams to adjust workloads, reduce or remove activities, and ensure the work being done reflects the teams or workforce we have available to do the work... risk assessments will be done for any voluntary redundancies.
"Other steps have been taken this year including reducing senior executives by 40 per cent and removing layers of management in parts of the organisation to ensure our focus remains on delivering essential services for the community."
All expressions of interest would be carefully assessed to ensure essential services continue to be delivered, Mr Peffer said, and no assessments will occur before unions had been consulted, after which timelines would be locked in.
The City and Environment Directorate manages public transport, waste management, planning and development of the city and the general upkeep of environmental layout and sustainability.
CPSU regional secretary Maddy Northam said it was "extraordinarily disappointing" to see the government cutting jobs from the directorate.
"These workers are already under the pump so any further job cuts will create an understaffed and overworked workforce, undermining service delivery that Canberran families rely on," she said.
"With little detail beyond an EOI process opening today, workers are anxiously awaiting further information about whether their teams and the communities they serve will be impacted."
Ms Northam said she was concerned public servants would face additional duties without being properly compensated and remunerated.
"This workforce is vital in keeping public spaces safe and clean, in the design and development of the city and keeping our city running with public transport," she said.
"On top of this, these job cuts risk our territory falling behind on environmental and sustainable living matters which our community deeply values. These cuts could ripple through our community for years to come."
The public sector union is currently negotiating enterprise agreements covering hundreds of ACT public servants.
Housing ACT staff went on strike for one hour on May 14 after hundreds of union members voted for strike action, calling for a pay rise at or above the inflation rate, which is about 4.6 per cent.
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