Gold Coast City Council workers, including cleaners, will take indefinite industrial action from tomorrow in response to a new council agreement proposal they say is “unacceptable and unfair”.
According to Australian Workers’ Union, the council’s Future City proposal features a number of reductions in workplace conditions including an increase in the daily ordinary hours from 4am to 9pm; as well as a wage offer of 1.8 per cent and an additional 0.5 per cent increase if council workers agree to the proposal.
“For more than three years, Gold Coast City Council workers have been denied a meaningful wage increase, which makes it harder and harder for people to keep up with cost of living pressures,” said AWU acting secretary Steve Baker.
“In their new agreement proposal, council is asking a lot from their workforce and offering little in return. They refuse to offer up anything that resembles a fair work place agreement.
“With the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, council expects their employees to work harder and longer than ever before to get our city ‘Games’ ready.
“All our members are asking for in return are fair and reasonable employment conditions.”
During the negotiation process for a new workplace agreement, which began in November 2016, AWU said council rejected all of the trade union’s claims, including those relating to how the council plans to replace permanent full-time staff as they exit the organisation.