13 March 2018
Attention: General reporters
Council playing dangerous games with pay and conditions…Unions
The gold medal for hypocrisy goes to… GCCC
Thousands of union members across all sectors of Gold Coast City Council will take industrial action over the coming days in protest over Councils failure to negotiate a fair deal to finalise the long running negotiations for a new Collective Agreement.
The action comes as Council appeared to be successful in removing its workers fundamental right to strike for the period 19 March – 27 April.
Electrical Trades Union state organiser Beau Malone said members were becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with Councils bare-faced hypocrisy and extravagant wastefulness in its spending, while workers faced; pay cuts, loss of rights, and gender discrimination.
“The combined unions have been adamant, we want to reach a resolution with Council that would see no disruption to the games but would also provide workers with the ability to continue pushing for a fair and reasonable pay deal.
“What did we get? A lawyered – up council playing dangerous games treating workers like an enemy. Pushing an anti-worker, anti-family agenda that not only includes, loss of pay through penalty rates cuts and a two-tier wage scale that discriminates against women, but also increases the span of hours outside of those contained within the award.
It’s a kick in the guts for these workers who work hard every day to keep our city functioning,” Mr Malone said.
“It’s all the harder to swallow when you look around the Coast and see some of the wasteful extravagance like the 30% pay increase awarded to the CEO and the $2.1m for the lights in the middle of nowhere, all paid for by rate payers like our members. It’s a gold medal performance in hypocrisy by GCCC,” he said.
Mr Malone reiterated the combined unions are calling on GCCC to stop playing games and come to the table with a fair wage offer and an agreement that does not reduce hard won conditions.
“The Council talks a lot about teamwork, yet they are letting many of their team members down with their tardy and hypocritical responses. This was highlighted again when their lawyer, paid for by the public purse was seen sleeping on the job during a QIRC hearing yesterday.”
“Council is playing a dangerous game with its disrespectful position and union members and their families will be making their feelings heard now and into the future,” he said.
For more details contact: Beau Malone 0430 824 609 or Neil Henderson 0418753054, Ricky Luke AMWU 0407 777 904, Paul Taylor CFMEU 0417 141 842, Kaylene Scott PA 0427 118 670, Richard O’Sullivan TWU 0448 120 280, Luke Barden Plumbers 0438 949 295.
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