Metro Waste News: Plans to replace Waste Collection Trucks at Auburn Council in 08
By Alan Dickson
USU Organiser
Feb 1, 2008
In what is a very welcome move for all waste Collection Members at Auburn Council, plans have been put in place to replace waste collection trucks in 2008. The Council has approved a budget of $1.4mil to replace trucks that are all well over 10 years old.
At the Council meeting held on October 2007 Council operations Director Mr. Ron Willcoxon put to the elected Councillors a plan to replace the old vehicles over the next 12 months.
Tenders and quotes will be sent out over the next few months with the new trucks due at Council in the early part of 2008.
The USU congratulates Auburn Council on their forward planning and reinforcing job security at Council.
WINNER 2007(NUMBER ONE!) candidate for the shame file is Burwood Council
Burwood council waste services is under the threat of Tender and Contractors. Some would say as a result of bad management.
Burwood Council has run its waste service fleet virtually into the ground without a replacement plan for the fleet and without day labour and is now putting the service up for tender.
According to Organiser Wayne Moody Burwood members have a combined total of 120 years experience between 4 members, "a wealth of unreplaceable local knowledge," says Mr Moody.
When passing through Burwood recently, whilst visiting members, USU official Wayne Moody witnessed Garbage Driver David Trevena park his truck safely and pick up papers that had blown from garbage bins in strong wind.
“You can’t pay enough money for a service like this”, says Mr Moody, “when employees have worked for Council for a long time they take special care of their area,” Mr Moody said.
Mr Moody said that “he had never witnessed a contactor with commitment and loyalty like the Burwood waste service members.”
Members are currently trying to work with council to develop a new Agreement and protect there jobs and garbage services.
USU official Alan Dickson stated if the union needed, they will take this matter to the Mayor, Councillors, the Minister for Local Government as well as federal minister to protect this service and these jobs”
Mr Dickson also stated that “this may be a hot issue for the union to campaign around leading up to the local Government Elections."
FISH ARE ON !
Reports coming out of Lake Illawarra by a well known local who bagged in excess of 25kg of pawns in just over 4 hrs, “prawns by the bucket loads” he said.
Giant size whiting are also being landed on worms by some experienced anglers and less by amateurs (when fishing or prawning from a boat in Lake Illawarra be aware of the current since completions of the break walls).
Around Stanwell Park reports are, the odd big jewfish and Taylor are being landed.
Any waste/cleansing employee wishing to submit an article or picture for publication in the news letter please contact your local delegate or USU Organiser.
