Business as usual for most Council services during strike action

Most Gladstone Regional Council services will remain unaffected by intended protected industrial action being taken against the organisation tomorrow (Oct 16).

Council has been informed by the Australian Services, Australian Workers and Plumbers unions that members of its workforce will strike from work tomorrow, affecting some Council operations.

The action will affect some Council services, but the unions have advised that essential Council services to the community should not be disrupted.

The strike action relates to the unions’ request for an annual 3.5 per cent wage increase over three years, plus a $3000 one-off payment, to be included in a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA).

Gladstone Region Mayor Matt Burnett said: “Council’s bargaining team has proposed wage increases of 2.5 per cent, 2.25 per cent and two per cent annually for all staff over the next three years, exceeding the inflation rate.” 

The differential between Council’s offer and the unions’ requested annual wage rise and lump sum payment is $5.7 million over the three years – equivalent to an additional $183 per rateable property.

“I am pleased to see that our bargaining team has agreed to the unions’ request for greater job security for its staff by adopting no-forced-redundancy clauses,” Councillor Burnett said.

Cr Burnett acknowledged that the previous agreement expired several years ago but said Council had voluntarily delivered a 2.5 per cent pay increase to its staff in September last year.

“This action demonstrated Council’s high regard for its employees and that it had been negotiating in good faith to obtain a fair and reasonable EBA,” he said.

Cr Burnett said Council respected the rights of its staff to take protected industrial action and would continue negotiating in good faith with unions and seek to understand what Council employees were seeking from the Certified Agreement.

The industrial action will not impact upon on Council’s domestic waste collection services and waste transfer stations will remain open to the community for non-commercial purposes.

The public will continue to be able to contact Council’s Customer Solutions Department by phoning 4970 0700 and all online services will continue to operate.