Townsville City Council - EBA vote ready

Decision to take industrial action, coupled with strong advocacy by The Services Union, has increased Townsville City Council’s pay offer for Stream A employees by 1.68% over the life of the proposed Certified Agreement (CA).

In light of this, The Services Union has now agreed that the proposed CA should go out to ballot.

The CA contains the following pay increases:

  • 2.73% from the date of a successful ballot which will be conducted in early June
  • 2.66% in the second year
  • 2.59% in the third year
These increases represent the best outcome for members overall by largely maintaining the relativities that we were concerned about while delivering an outcome above 2.5% in each of the three years of the proposed agreement. Those relativities are important to ensuring that you are paid fairly for your qualifications, skills and training. If the Council did not know about them before, they do now!

As part of the approach that has delivered this proposal for you to vote on, it was agreed to clarify the operation of the probation clause where the Council opts to increase the probationary period to six months.

Our Union also argued for an earlier operative date for the wage increase, but we were unable to move the Council from the proposal that the wage increase would operate from the date of a successful ballot. Ultimately, we took the decision that it was better to accept that date than to delay the vote in circumstances where the outcome might have remained unchanged.

You will hear from the Council shortly in relation to the voting process. The Services Union will do everything that we can to assist in the process of getting this agreement done and the payrise into your pocket.

If work with someone who is not a member, there has never been a better time to encourage them to join. By doing so they will be helping to deliver the successful implementation of the new agreement and setting the scene for an even better outcome next time around. Joining is quick and easy.

Pictured: Workplace Delegates Jonathon Hughes and Jacqueline Davis, Organiser Glenn Desmond, Workplace Delegate Krystal Curnow and Union Secretary Neil Henderson.