THE five councils in the G21 area have united against what they describe as attempts by the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) to \u201cmuscle in\u201d on their employees.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday this week, the Borough of Queenscliffe, Colac Otway Shire, Surf Coast Shire and Golden Plains Shire jointly announced they had joined the City of Greater Geelong’s oppositon to the CFMEU representing any of its workers.<\/p>\n
The city and other councils have recently received notification from the CFMEU that the union wishes to participate in the city\u2019s Enterprise Agreement negotiations and bargain on the behalf of some employees.<\/p>\n
The councils say they are worried that if the CFMEU is successful, it will likely escalate council costs and inefficiencies, as well as hurt productivity and the councils\u2019 ability to deliver services to ratepayers.<\/p>\n
Most local government employees are members of unions such as the Australian Services Union (ASU) and Professionals Australia.<\/p>\n
The Fair Work Commission is now trying to resolve the dispute over the unions\u2019 representation rights.<\/p>\n
City of Greater Geelong chief executive officer Ali Wastie said the decision by neighbouring councils to join together showed unity and the critical importance of the issue for the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are one of the biggest and fastest growing regional cities in the country and provide over 120 different services from childcare, aged care, school crossing safety, maternal health, waste services, business support, cleaning and engineering, and many more.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur council\u2019s focus is on delivering quality services and infrastructure for our growing population, but the CFMEU\u2019s attempts to muscle into our workforce will only cause angst and damage our culture.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Ms Wastie said the city respected its employees\u2019 right to representation and remained committed to achieving a positive outcome.<\/p>\n
Surf Coast Shire chief executive offcier Robyn Seymour said her council believed in a fair and level playing field for all its workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when we enter into enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations with workers, it is done to get the best outcome for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Borough of Queenscliffe chief executive Martin Gill said the borough was committed to providing services that met community needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a service provider, we value the dialogue and negotiations we conduct with our workforce to ensure these services are effectively delivered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hear from our staff that they feel well represented by the Australian Services Union, and we appreciate the role that the ASU plays in representing our employees.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE five councils in the G21 area have united against what they describe as attempts by the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) to \u201cmuscle in\u201d on their employees. On Wednesday this week, the Borough of Queenscliffe, Colac Otway Shire, Surf Coast Shire and Golden Plains Shire jointly announced they had joined the City […]<\/p>\n