Local Government - No Qualms with IR Laws? Your ASU's Response

The recent edition of Southern Times Messenger published this letter from your Branch Secretary Andy Dennard in response to the Southern Messenger article on 30 May 2007 titled “No qualms with IR Laws: council”.

ASU Branch Secretary - Andy Dennard

The Editor
Messenger Newspapers

By E-mail

Dear Sir / Madam

I am writing in response to the article printed in the Southern Messenger on 30 May 2007 titled "No qualms with IR Laws: council".

I agree with Onkaparinga CEO Jeff Tate's sentiments to the effect that in general councils are reasonable employers and have reasonable relationships with the Unions like ours. I do however take issue with LGA executive director Wendy Campana's assertion that the new laws are working well.

The facts are that the laws have created a great deal of concern for both employees and employers in Local Government and in some cases have resulted in extended disputation around how wages and conditions can best be protected against the new laws.

Most Councils are now having make two agreements with their employees and their Unions where previously they had one in order to get round the nastier aspects of the Federal Governments Work Choice legislation.

In a number of Councils, such as Adelaide City Council, Adelaide Hills Council and Prospect, employees have actually rejected proposed Work Choice Agreements at the ballot box because of all the down-sides associated with them. At Onkaparinga and more recently at Port Adelaide Enfield the Councils have had to agree to side agreements with their employees and their Unions, in order to provide protections to wages and conditions that a Work Choice agreement alone cannot deliver.

Certainly the Australian Services Union opposes Federal Government's Work Choice laws but not for ideological reasons as some would have but because our members when given the choice don't want a bar of the new laws as they know they are bad for them and their families, bad for Councils and ultimately bad for the communities they serve.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Dennard
Branch Secretary
Australian Services Union SA & NT Branch