“I might leave our bin on Council’s doorsteps, see if they like it.”
“What an absolute joke of a Council”
THE anger and frustration of residents was clear to see after a garbage collector strike last Friday impacted 30,000 local households.
The heat tipped 31 degrees as bins sat uncollected kerbside, due to union-affiliated workers taking days of industrial action.
The union is asking for better pay and conditions as the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) and Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) members at Ipswich Waste Services and Ipswich City Council, filed the protected industrial action which began on Friday.
Council has hit back, claiming it presented an offer of a 12.75% agreement over the next three years and new working week hours that was rejected.
Mayor Teresa Harding told media on Friday afternoon that “the delta between what Council is offering and what the workers are asking for is great, adding up to millions of dollars”.
TWU Queensland director of organising Josh Millroy said industrial action was always a last resort from workers.
“But this is the reality when the council refuses to listen to and reward their workers,” he said.
“The only thing that stinks more than a full wheelie bin left out on a summer day in Ipswich is this council’s disregard for these critical workers.
“These workers carry out essential daily work for the Council and its 250,000 residents.”
AWU Queensland state secretary Stacey Schinnerl described the negotiations as being at a “deadlock”.
“Our members are not asking for the world, just for a pay rise that prevents their standard of living from backsliding,” she said.
“Our members work tirelessly for their community but there comes a point where the cost-of-living increases are becoming irreparably at odds with their wages.
Ipswich City Council acting chief executive officer Matt Smith said it was unfortunately not possible for Council to make short-term citywide changes to its fixed bin collection calendar to collect the missed bins outside the usual schedule.
“Council respects the right of employees who are members of a union to take protected industrial action, but we urge these unions to recommence negotiations.”
