Onkaparinga Council Protest to Protect Wages and Conditions

Employees of South Australia’s largest Council Onkaparinga will be gathering at 5.45pm tonight before the Onkaparinga Council meeting.

They will be protesting against Council management's failure to negotiate a decent wage increase and to protect against Council's push to make the new Agreement under the Howard Government's new IR laws which will take away existing employment rights.

Given the Council's Mayor has refused staff the right to speak at Council (through their Union leadership) they have invited elected members to join them and hear about their issues. A number of elected members support staff.

"Council staff are concerned that management's failure to negotiate a fair wage increase and their apparent insistence on making an agreement under the new laws will take away their rights in the short and long term" said ASU Branch Secretary Andy Dennard.

"Staff are prepared to fight on for as long as it takes to secure their rights at work."

The Council employees affected include librarians, workers in community services, planners, environmental health workers and administrative and call centre workers and over one hundred staff members are expected to attend tonight's protest.

The protest will also be supported by other Council workers who are members of the Australian Workers Union.

For further comment contact ASU Branch Secretary Andy Dennard on 8363 1322 or 0418 847 435.