It pays to be united

Commission Report Back. On 17 January 2012 the Union lodged two disputes in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission on behalf of our members working in Garbage at the Council of the City of Botany Bay. The Issues in dispute are;

1.    Breach of the Waste Employees Enterprise Agreement 2009 in relation to over DARG payments
2.    Failure of Council to deal with OHS concerns to do with asbestos and building materials in a timely manner

The Union and Council met to discuss these issues on 24 January 2012 and whilst some progress was made, the offer put to the members was far short of their expectations.

On 25 January 2012 USU officials Siobhan Callinan and Casey Young along with our delegate Phil Fisher attended the Commission and appeared before Commissioner Ritchie for the purposes of conciliating the matters.

The Union made good progress in the dispute at the Commission getting on record our concerns with the length of time it has taken Council to address these issues and the serious OHS situation which is caused by building materials being disposed of in garbage bins.

Phil Fisher provided documentation to the Commissioner which included Hazard Identification reports dating back to 2007 as well as photographs of hazardous materials in Botany Council bins.

The Union and Council are set to meet again on Thursday 2 February 2012 and we have a further report back on both matters at 9am on 6 February at the Commission.