Ipswich garbos welcome 13% pay rise as QIRC formally dumps old deal

Ipswich bin services will return to normal after garbage workers secured a certified council agreement last week.

Ipswich garbos have won a negotiated 13.75 per cent pay rise over three years with the QIRC officially certifying the deal last week. Picture: Ipswich City Council

Ipswich residents have finally been guaranteed a long-term fix to their rubbish collection problems after the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission last week formally terminated an outdated 2021 workers’ agreement and approved a new certified deal for local garbos.

The Commission’s ruling, delivered on May 20, confirms that the new employment agreement between Ipswich City Council and its garbage truck drivers is now legally in force.

On the same day, the 2021 certified agreement, which expired on October 1, 2024, was officially scrapped.

The dual decision follows months of industrial tension and protracted negotiations involving the council, the Transport Workers’ Union (Queensland Branch), and the Australian Workers’ Union of Employees, Queensland.

The standoff resulted in last year’s strike action and widespread delays to bin collection services throughout the city, frustrating thousands of residents.

Negotiations broke down last year before Ipswich garbos negotiated the deal which was certified last week by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. Picture: The Courier-Mail

Under the new certified agreement, workers will receive a 13.75 per cent pay rise over three years.

Other key improvements include a phased move to a 36.25-hour working week by July 2026 and an increase in employer superannuation contributions to 13.5 per cent, above the standard rate for other council employees.

The changes were designed to improve work-life balance and long-term financial security for council waste drivers, commonly known as “garbos”, whose work is considered essential to the city’s operations.

QIRC documents tabled last week said the 2021 agreement was terminated under Section 228 of the Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld) after the commission determined that all legal requirements had been met.

The QIRC noted that all parties involved had agreed to end the previous deal and replace it with the newly negotiated one.

Importantly, the commission confirmed that the termination was not contrary to the public interest and that proper notice and legal processes had been followed.

The application to terminate the 2021 deal was filed by the Ipswich City Council on May 9, 2025.

On the same date, it also applied for certification of the new agreement, which had already been endorsed by both unions involved.

The commission’s approval on May 20 ensures that the transition from the old agreement to the new one is clear and binding.

The new agreement will remain in effect until July 1, 2027, unless replaced or ended earlier in accordance with Queensland’s industrial laws.

Ipswich City Council has yet to release a formal statement, on the QIRC certification, the unions involved, the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia, the Union of Employees (Queensland Branch) and The Australian Workers’ Union of Employees, Queensland have welcomed the outcome.