LG workers being pressured into Work Choices agreement need your help

Workers at Holdfast Bay City Council in South Australia need your support. Despite the clear majority of staff voting against it, management at the Council are determined to pressure staff into signing a Work Choices agreement.

ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence speaks to ASU members at Holdfast Council Tuesday 30 October

What's happened so far?
In February, Holdfast Council management first wrote to the Australian Services Union (ASU) office asking whether we would be prepared to be a party to a Work Choices agreement. The ASU office advised that this question would be determined by members covered by the agreement.

Despite meetings of staff indicating that the majority's preference was for an agreement other than a Work Choices agreement, in late June, at the request of the CEO, a formal ballot was conducted. On 28 June the ballot outcome was declared. 75% of staff voted 'no' and in so doing clearly sent a message that they did not want a Work Choices agreement for their wages and conditions.

Throughout August and September, management has frustrated attempts by the ASU to move things forward. At all times, staff have been clear that they do not want a Work Choices agreement to cover their wages and conditions and have put forward viable legal alternatives.

Feeling as if they had had their views ignored, Holdfast staff attended the 9 October meeting of elected Holdfast councillors en masse to ask for their assistance in having their views heard. After this meeting, Mayor Rollond publicly suggested that it was fair and appropriate for staff to be listened to when 75% of them had clearly voted 'no' to Work Choices.

Staff welcomed the Mayor's words and hoped that the CEO would take heed. However they are disappointed that the CEO is still attempting to get them onto a Work Choices agreement by offering a very unattractive 2.1% wage increase if they DO NOT sign up to Work Choices - far inferior to the 4% we understand has been budgeted for by Council and far inferior to local government averages.

Holdfast Bay employees are being treated unfairly and punished for refusing to enter into a Work Choies agreement. We ask you to support them by emailing the Chief Executive Officer and the Mayor, airing your concerns. You can do that at our email form here:

www.asu.asn.au/campaign/holdfast2007-10/protest/protest_form

• the Award which is the current safety net for wages and conditions will never again apply to Holdfast Bay staff;
• at the expiration of the Agreement, the City of Holdfast Bay can simply terminate the Agreement and staff will only be covered by five minimum conditions;
• conditions will be lost as a number of matters are prohibited from being in Work Choices agreements; and
• the Federal Minister for Workplace Relations will have the right to reach into the Holdfast Bay Agreement and prohibit agreed matters as he chooses.

What are the alternatives?
Staff are seeking either -

• to have their existing agreement remain in place and a have a common law agreement or memorandum of understanding sit alongside it with any newly negotiated matters;

  or

• a common law agreement - a viable legal alternative - to protect their working conditions.

Both proposals have been rejected by Council management.

Holdfast Bay workers are extremely alarmed by media comments by the Local Government Association suggesting big councils have no choice other than Work Choices. That is not true.

Large SA councils like Tea Tree Gully and Marion have recently signed up to collective agreements outside of the Work Choices system. In NSW and Queensland, State Governments have steered councils away from Work Choices and towards alternative types of agreements.

We ask you to support the staff in protecting their working conditions from unfair work laws by sending your messages of support for the Council staff to the CEO Rob Donaldson and to Ken Rollond (Mayor). You can do that by filling out our email form here:

www.asu.asn.au/campaign/holdfast2007-10/protest/protest_form.html ASU members working at Council are librarians, clerical workers, customer service workers, inspectors, planners, environmental health officers, finance officers and a number of other administrative/professional staff. ASU members take pride in the work they undertake to serve the Holdfast Bay community.

Should you require further information about staff's position, please do not hesitate to contact us on 08 8363 1322.