Western Downs Regional Council - Low Pay, Muddy Waters

When it comes to negotiating pay at Western Downs Regional Council, The Services Union is by your side for as long as it takes. We’re across the economic indicators and the state of play (and pay!) at similar workplaces, to ensure you get what you deserve.   

Conversely, the Council seems intent on keeping your pay below what similar Councils pay. The Council also wants to expand ordinary hours to 5am – 7pm for greater “flexibility”. We have repeatedly told the Council that this type of flexibility (including a four-day week) is already possible under current arrangements.   

We understand the Executive Leadership Team has stated that negotiations have been ongoing since December. However, we formally commenced bargaining on 23 February and we waited until 27 April for the Council to provide a pay proposal.     

The Council has issued veiled threats to “take the Unions to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission”. If the Council were serious about this, we would already have a Commission listing.

On the other hand, our Union is committed to concluding negotiations on practical and acceptable terms. In discussions with the Council last week, we tabled a revised pay claim of 5% in year one and 4.5% for year two and three. While the Council stated it needed to go away and do some “modelling”, it appears they have already done this, based on the Council’s narrative at the EB Roadshows.

The Council needs to give serious consideration to our pay proposal, rather than muddying the waters around timeframes. We’ll discuss with members about what options are available to make this happen.

We know that a strong and active Union is the best resource to get the Council moving. If you work with someone who is not yet a member and wants a better deal, joining is easy online.