DURING the holiday season you may have missed the big kerfuffle between management and garbos at Ipswich City Council.
Bins weren’t emptied in many suburbs after unions launched a period of industrial action which included demonstrations outside council’s HQ.
Previous offers to the three unions were rejected, but the pain of wheelie bins not being emptied eventually became too much for councillors, who discussed the matter behind closed doors.
This would have led to additional pressure on the acting CEO for management to resolve the strike action. They ultimately relented with another pay offer.
Councillors would have been getting complaints from angry residents not happy about the situation.
Without a detailed survey, it’s probably safe to say Ipswich Waste Services drivers are now among the best paid in Australia after scoring a 13.75% rise over three years, a reduction in standard working hours from 38 to 36.25 by July next year, and 13.5% superannuation.
How does council make up the shortfall in hours worked?
Nobody wants to see workers being underpaid, but ratepayers will probably never know the answer but will surely feel the pain after the council budget is handed down mid-year.
According to talent.com, the average salary for a waste driver in Australia is $70,132. Ipswich City Council should publish the before and after average wage for Ipswich drivers, including regularly worked overtime.
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