Ballarat City Council - Bargaining update and rally

16 May 2024

The ASU met with management yesterday to discuss the enterprise agreement. Management has rejected the ASU’s offer and intends to proceed to a vote for the enterprise agreement with a 3.5% offer.

ASU members strongly endorsed a position of 5%, 6%, 6% at our last mass members meeting. On this basis, we will be recommending a no vote when the enterprise agreement is put to a vote. Ballarat City Council has money available that could be allocated to a fair wage increase.

However, there is still a bit of time before we get to the vote.

We are still working through the drafting details of the agreement, and we have scheduled another enterprise agreement meeting with management next Wednesday to continue this drafting work.

We also continue to implement work bans across the Council, with bans on street sweeping and litter collection intensifying throughout the Heritage Festival. You might have seen the positive coverage in the Ballarat Courier over the weekend of our bans, including the very popular ban on issuing parking fines implemented by our fantastic members in parking! The public is on our side and wants to see Ballarat City Council workers get a fair pay rise!

Council meeting on 22 May
We still have an opportunity next week to get an improved offer on the table before the staff vote! Next Wednesday night, Councillors are meeting to determine how unallocated savings should be spent. They are also setting the budget for FY 25.

Councillors have a decision before them – do they invest in their workers or do they “pay off their debt” as management has recommended? At a time when workers are struggling to pay their own house and credit card loans, we think the choice is clear!

ASU members will be holding a rally next Wednesday at 5.30pm before the Council meeting on the steps of the Town Hall to send a message to Councillors before they vote that workers deserve a fair pay rise! We encourage you to come down, bring your family and community members!

For more information please contact Zoe Edwards at [email protected] or 0474 333 463.

The ASU is by your side. Talk to a co-worker about the importance of union membership and ask them to join the ASU at https://www.asuvictas.com.au/VICTAS/Join