The Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) dispute between Brimbank council and its employees intensified last week when staff rallied outside the Keilor municipal office before a council meeting.
About 30 indoor and outdoor staff, led by Australian Services Union organiser Russell McGregor, gathered on Tuesday night before heading into the council chamber for public question time.
Council staff and the ASU are concerned about a clause in the draft EBA that refers to the introduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices on council vehicles, plant and equipment, and the introduction of surveillance technology.
Mr McGregor said staff were also concerned about job security and contracting out of vital council services, including rubbish collection.
ASU research officer and Brimbank resident Robert Bozinovski said workers were disappointed to receive “scripted responses” to the questions they asked in the chamber.
“Administrators and the chief executive need to come clean,” Mr Bozinovski said. “Will Brimbank council continue to provide its current services in-house under the watch of the current CEO and administrators?”
The council yesterday put the draft EBA to an employees’ vote, which will close on October 31.
Mr McGregor said staff were furious to find out they would lose back pay to July 1 if the EBA was not voted in. “They’ve [the council] really got staff offside,” he said. “This dispute is far from over.”
One rubbish collector, who asked not to be named, said staff would prefer job security over the proposed pay rise. “I want to know if I’ll have a job in three years,” the employee said.
Meanwhile, a member of the council administration, an employee of nearly 30 years, said it was the first time management had refused to negotiate, even though the council and union were not “far apart”.
