‘Largest worker-initiated’ multi-employer agreement could see pay rises for 10k council employees

An Australian Services Union-backed multi-employer bargaining application sent to the FWC could lead to 10,000 workers throughout Melbourne-based councils receiving a pay rise.

The ASU has taken a giant leap in its push for fair wages and improved working conditions, amending its Fair Work Commission multi-employer agreement application (MEB) to include two additional councils, bringing the total number of councils involved in the MEB to 10.

The proposed agreement includes the following councils: Hume City Council, Brimbank City Council, Yarra City Council, Darebin City Council, Merri-bek City Council, City of Melbourne, Port Phillip City Council, Dandenong City Council, Hobsons Bay City Council and Maribyrnong City Council.

With the ASU adding another two councils into the fold, the total number of workers that could be covered by the MEB now sits at more than 10,000 throughout metropolitan Melbourne.

In a statement given to HR Leader, ASU secretary Tash Wark claimed that the MEB is the largest “worker-initiated” multi-employer agreement proposed in Australia.

“The proposed agreement will cover more than ten thousand workers across local governments in metropolitan Melbourne,” said Wark.

“The multi-employer laws also provide the opportunity for other workers to join the agreement in future years. We believe this is the largest worker-initiated multi-employer agreement proposed in Australia. A majority of workers have signed a petition at each of the ten councils to show their support for the multi-employer agreement.”

According to another ASU delegate, the union has also already received confirmation from two councils that they will consent to the application sent to the FWC.

“It is wonderful to see employers are listening to their workers on this issue and supporting their push for a decent pay rise through multi-employer bargaining,” said the delegate.

The union originally proposed to negotiate a multi-employer agreement to cover the 10 councils last month, having to get the support from a majority of workers at each council to follow through with the MEB.

“The reason why we think a multi-enterprise agreement is the best option is simple: under these new laws, workers have more bargaining power to negotiate a better pay deal and improved conditions,” said an ASU delegate.

The FWC is now set to review the application from the ASU and confidentially verify the petition.

More to come.