Gympie council asks state industrial watchdog for help in pay battle with unions

A drawn out Gympie Regional Council pay battle that sparked protests in the streets may be coming to an end with the state’s industrial watchdog called in.

The state industrial watchdog has been asked to step in on the controversial and at-times nasty pay fight between Gympie Regional Council and staff unions.

The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission has been asked to help with reaching agreement on the deal, with the council and unions at a stalemate after more than 12 months of debates.

Council acting CEO David Lewis said he would not comment on specifics now that it was before the commission, but the choice was made “acting in the best interests of staff”.

“It became evident negotiations had stalled,” Mr Lewis said.

“All unions rejected council’s latest pay offer which amounted to a 12 per cent pay rise over three years with back pay.

Gympie council workers walked off the job and marched down Mary St in protest of a pay offer union reps called sub-par in August.

“I am of the opinion the unions involved in this process embarked on a deliberate campaign to present to their members an unrealistic representation of council’s negotiating position.

“This has been the single biggest challenge in this process and one of the reasons why we sought the commission’s aid.”

Services Union organiser Tom Rivers welcomed the move saying the commission was “the only place to have the next meeting” given how “messy” the talks had become.

“We can just get this thing over and done with,” Mr Rivers said.

He said the council had taken too long to put a decent offer on the table after first proposing a 1.5 per cent increase per year.

Other issues had come down to “different parties interpretations”, he said.

Acting CEO David Lewis said the decision to engage the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission was made in the “best interests of the staff”.

There was also a dispute around the council’s latest offer, which Mr Rivers said included a 12-month wage freeze.

“There’s been a real lack of trust at the bargaining table,” Mr Rivers said.

“They’re all over the shop.”

The drawn out negotiations boiled over in August when disgruntled staff members and union representatives marched down Mary St in protest, chanting “(Mayor) Glen Hartwig is full of s---” and “union power”.

The commission will hear the matter on November 23 at Brisbane.