GANNAWARRA Shire Council says it is working within tight financial constraints while it continues ongoing workplace negotiations with a staff union.
Shire chief executive officer, Eric Braslis said that council is continuing to negotiate with the unions and also doesn’t want this dragging on any longer that it has to.
Australian Services Union branch co-ordinator, Billy King claimed that the shire had been “deliberately dragging the chain” on enterprise agreement negotiations while staff continued to work as normal to ensure the community did not suffer.
The union said negotiations have been stalling for more than six months.
However, Mr Braslis said that council had tabled no less than three revised offers since the original offer was voted down, the latest being last week.
“Again, as a council, we need to be financially responsible with ratepayers’ money,” he said.
“With interest rates at their lowest in decades and CPI (consumer price index) closing in on 1 per cent, it would be expected that December’s (State Government) rate capping announcement will be closer to 2 per cent if not lower, placing even greater pressures on council’s budgets.
“To date, our focus has been on the retention of workforce numbers, as our towns and communities cannot afford to see job losses, especially for those younger persons in our community wanting to continue to live and work here in Gannawarra, as once the workforce is reduced, it’s unlikely that it will return in the future.”
Mr King said that ASU members are not asking for high demands and have indicated they will accept a relatively low offer in comparison to what other councils have accepted.
“While there have been reports of staff not working, striking and taking it easy, the ASU can assure the community that this is not the case. This group of employees work beyond the call of duty. They are passionate about the Gannawarra Shire and its success, working beyond their paid hours.”
Mr King said that shire employees were also community members, who pay rates, their children attend schools and kindergartens within the shire and they volunteer their time in their local community groups, sporting clubs, fund-raisers and events.
