Port Adelaide Enfield Council trying to cut staff pay

IN BRIEF:

• One year of negotiations with Port Enfield Council has come to nothing

• Council have been ignoring standard consultation and enterprise bargaining processes

• The Council is pushing a deal which is unacceptable to ASU members

• Your ASU continues to fight this battle on behalf of and alongside members

One year of negotiations around a new Agreement have come to nothing, with the Council ignoring standard consultation and enterprise bargaining processes and trying to ram through a deal which cuts allowances, cuts working hours that attract penalty rates, puts existing staff on probationary periods and attacks job security.

The Council is pushing a deal which will mean over a hundred ASU members at the Council will be worse off than workers in every other Council in South Australia.

These planned cuts will hit librarians, customer service workers who deal with the public, those working in Neighbourhood Houses and community centres as well as planners and inspectors.

It would mean a community centre worker at Port Adelaide Enfield has worse conditions in terms of access to TOIL, job security and allowances than community centre workers doing the same work in other council neighbourhood houses around the State.

We know staff are fearful of losing their long fought for wages and conditions of work and we are continuing to fight this battle on behalf of and alongside members."

An ASU member working in one of the Council libraries says: "ASU members are astounded at Council's disregard of staff views and what they are attempting to push through. This has been a really difficult negotiation with management blatantly disregarding process. We know that our only chance of seeing their proposed agreement off is sticking together; we appreciate the support of our ASU office in what has been a difficult time." At the time of writing this newsletter members were preparing to vote 'no' to Council's offer.