By Charlene Macaulay
Brimbank council has been accused of covering up the true cost of last year’s protracted industrial dispute with its staff.
The Australian Services Union (ASU) said its freedom of information (FOI) requests revealed the council spent more than $330,000 in legal fees and for contractors.
ASU organiser Russell McGregor said the final bill for external contractors, lawyers and consultants could be closer to $500,000 as the council had so far provided only a portion of the invoices requested through FOI.
Mr McGregor said the council denied the ASU access to a number of the invoices because they were considered “commercially sensitive”.
“I’m very disappointed in the lack of transparency and the council not providing all of the relevant invoices.
“I do believe this is in the public interest,” Mr McGregor said.
The FOI cost count flies in the face of information Brimbank council gave
Star Weekly in January about legal fees and costs for external contractors during its troubled enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations.
Figures provided by the council at the time included $83,113.76 for legal fees and a further $105,563.27 for contractors to collect the garbage, mow parks, answer phones and collect street bins when employees took strike action. “It is seriously concerning that the council’s corporate director may have misled the public when she was quoted as saying that legal and contractor fees during the period of dispute were well under what appears to be the truth,” Mr McGregor said.
Corporate and community relations director Helen Morrissey stood by the original figures when queried last week.
“All information provided in the past was correct at the time of which it was supplied to the media,” Ms Morrissey said.
“Council reiterates what was said in January 2015.
“These costs are unfortunate. However, there has been no additional cost to ratepayers for the delay in reaching an agreement.
“To the contrary, the EBA agreement resolved in January 2015 will deliver cost and productivity savings.”
Council staff voted in favour of a revised EBA in December after 11 months of negotiations and two rounds of industrial action, including strikes.
