$90 a week pay rise for Darwin City Council workers

The Australian Services Union which represents around 180 staff including parking inspectors, indoor staff, clerical, administrative, regulatory officers and librarians employed by the Darwin City Council this week accepted in principle to a new 3 year enterprise agreement which will deliver them no less than a $90 a week pay rise in the next two years.

Australian Services Union NT Industrial Officer, Lucio Matarazzo said the agreement offered by the Darwin City Council provides ASU members employed at Council with:

• A 4% pay rise or $30 a week rise, which ever is the greater, paid from September 1, 2005.

• A further 4% pay rise or $30 a week rise, which ever is the greater, from September 1, 2006.

• A further 3% pay rise or $30 a week rise, which ever is the greater, from September 1, 2007.

Lucio said that the agreement is a good outcome for ASU members. He praised Darwin City Council's commitment to agree to 9 weeks paid maternity leave and it's commitment not to introduce individual Australian Workplace Agreements to any Council employee. Darwin City Council and the ASU have agreed instead to negotiate collective Local Area Agreements if and when applicable for distinct workplace units in Council and/or when new services are introduced or former contracted out services are taken back in house.

The ASU has further praised Council's commitment to protect the 6 weeks annual leave and 3 weeks sick leave per annum entitlements of staff. Lucio said the new agreement would continue to allow workers to take advantage of salary packaging arrangements for superannuation which would have income tax savings benefits for them.

Lucio Matarazzo said that he was confident that the proposed agreement would meet the no disadvantage requirements of the Workplace Relations Act and would be certified in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. He finally said that around 100 outdoor staff and their unions will also be considering Council's offer.