Noosa Council workers take pay fight to the streets

Noosa Shire Council workers have taken to a door-knocking campaign to inform ratepayers of “how poorly they have been treated”.

As previously reported by HR Leader, Noosa Council workers have been locked in a “mean and nasty” pay dispute with the local council since February, with Australian Services Union-aligned workers now taking to the streets to convince ratepayers of their mistreatment.

“It is an absolute disgrace that a council CEO earning almost $400,000 a year is trying to block low-paid workers for asking for a pay rise,” Mick Anderson, AWU organiser, said.

“If he’s not threatening to dock pay from our workers, this CEO is offering us a dud deal dressed up as an improved pay offer. We know that under this CEO, council workers’ pay has fallen behind neighbouring councils.”

According to the union, although the “dud” pay offer improved from 14 per cent over three years to 15 per cent, it delayed one of the three annual pay rises, which the union claims would lead to “workers receiving no extra money”.

“This deal could be done tomorrow if the mayor agreed to scrap the pay-rise deferral that would dud workers – that’s all our members are asking for.

“Council exists for the benefit of the community, and there is no community benefit in depriving low-paid workers and their families of a pay rise during a cost-of-living crisis,” Anderson said.

Previous actions from the union-aligned workers included a rally outside of council grounds, in which, at the time, Noosa Council chief executive Larry Sengstock warned workers of repercussions for participation.

“Any employee who is a member of the unions and takes protected industrial action from their first shift on Thursday will be asked to leave work and will not be paid during the period of the lockout,” Sengstock said.

“It’s unfortunate it has come to this, but while we respect an employee’s right to participate in the notified action, equally as an employer, we are taking the necessary steps under the legislation.”

This led to chants during the rally of the “CEO has got to go” and “executive team takes the cream”, with Anderson referring to the “lockout” decision as “mean and nasty”.

“A lockout is an extreme tactic used by an employer to intimidate their workforce into accepting a bad offer they do not want to accept,” Anderson said.

“It is about depriving workers who are already earning some of the lowest wages you could find at a council in South-East Queensland of two days of pay ahead of a long weekend.

“It’s mean, it’s nasty, and it’s designed to punish workers who have found their voice and are asking for their fair share.”

As the dispute rages on, council workers will attempt to sway public opinion in their favour by speaking to ratepayers across the community.

“That’s why AWU activists will be taking to the streets of Noosa, talking directly to residents about how the council’s actions are impacting the local community,” Anderson said.

“If the mayor allows this to continue, we’ll see more potholes, more bins go unemptied, and residents will suffer.

“It’s time for the mayor to step up, stop his CEO’s ridiculous behaviour, and deliver the pay rise council workers deserve.”