Chaos across two Qld council areas as garbo strike expands

One of two councils set to be hit today by a planned garbage worker strike has taken emergency steps to offer residents a chance to avoid dirty nappies and other odorous waste from stinking out their neighbourhoods. SEE THE IMPACT

Striking Ipswich City Council workers. Picture: TWU

Ipswich residents will be able to take smaller amounts of general waste to two dumps today in a move by council to ease disruption from a wide-ranging strike planned for Friday that has now spread to road maintenance, parks, cleaning and other workers.

Residents have been advised by council to still put out their bins, if it was their collection day, but take them in tonight if they were still not collected.

They could also take general waste to Rosewood and Riverview waste transfer stations (dumps), for free, but must produce driver’s licences as proof of residence.

The protected industrial action would now include hundreds of commercial waste services per day, while Somerset Regional Council bins would not be collected.

About 30,000 Ipswich homes per day were expected to be affected, with the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) and Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) filing to take multiple days of action.

It will be the first such strike in four years and will involve both Ipswich City Council employees and garbos employed by the council-owned Ipswich Waste Services.

A TWU spokesman said council’s 12.75 per cent pay offer, over three years, did not keep up with inflation.

Their members also wanted higher superannuation, matching other council staff, as well as allowances for working with dangerous poisons and chemicals.

TWU Queensland Director of Organising Josh Millroy said taking industrial action was always a last resort.

“But this is the reality when the council refuses to listen to and reward their workers,’’ he said.

“Every day these workers are on strike would result in 30,000 household bins not being collected.

“The only thing that stinks more than a full wheelie bin left out on a summer day in Ipswich is this council’s disregard for these critical workers.”

Striking Ipswich City Council workers. Picture: TWU

“If the Mayor and council want to avoid a scary Friday the 13th, they should come to the table with a fair pay increase and better working conditions for these essential employees. The clock is ticking.”

An Ipswich City Council spokesman said that during the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations council presented a package including wage increases of 12.75 per cent as well as a transition to a 36.25-hour week by July 1, 2026.

Council was also offering 13.5 per cent superannuation for garbos, above the 12.5 per cent enjoyed by other council workers.

Brisbane City Council, in comparison, had offered its workers only three per cent a year over two years although The Services Union has been pushing for more.

“This balances responsibilities to the community and to our workforce,’’ he said.

“Four of the seven unions representing council have reached in principle agreement with council on this offer.’’

Acting CEO Matt Smith said the unions’ original demand was for a 15 per cent wage rise over three years, well above inflation.

The council move to open dumps to residents is aimed to help those whose children wear nappies, who have medicinal or very odorous waste, Mr Smith said on Friday morning.

The TWU's Josh Millroy talks to media at the strike site.

But there was a limit of about 80kg and only general waste can be taken, and residents must show their driver’s licence as proof they lived in affected areas.

Drop-offs would be free.

For residents whose bins are normally collected on Friday morning, council asked that they put their bins on the kerb as normal.

“If their bins are not collected today, we ask they bring their bins back in at the end of the day,” Mr Smith said.

“To try and ease the impact of the unions’ action on residents, both of council’s resource recovery centres at Riverview and Rosewood are anticipated to remain open and waste charges for residents in affected suburbs will be waived on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“While there may be some disruptions to our resource recovery centres, council will endeavour to provide this free service to affected residents.

“Residents will simply need to provide identification such as a drivers’ licence showing their proof of address within the affected suburbs to access free waste disposal up to 80kg to allow them to dispose of general waste from their red-lidded bins.

Striking Ipswich City Council workers. Picture: TWU

“This will allow residents to manage health and safety concerns related to their uncollected bins.

“Should industrial action continue into next week and extend into more suburbs, council will need to reassess this free service.

“Unfortunately it is not possible for council to make short-term citywide changes to our fixed bin collection calendar to collect the missed bins outside the usual schedule.

“Council is working to prioritise a limited collection service for medical facilities and residents with medical collections.”

AWU State Secretary Stacey Schinnerl said the action came after months of stalled EBA talks.

“Our members work tirelessly for their community but there comes a point where the cost of living increases are becoming irreparably at odds with their wages,” she said.

“Sharp spikes in grocery, fuel and rent expenses over the past three years have left workers struggling to feed their families.

“Our members are not asking for the world, just for a pay rise that prevents their standard of living from backsliding.

“Council are running out of time to clean up their act before they find out exactly how essential these workers are.”

Stacey Schinnerl. Picture: Australian Workers' Union - Queensland Branch/Facebook

Mr Smith said council respected the right of employees who were members of a union to take protected industrial action but urged the unions to restart negotiations.

“Three other unions, representing council’s other employees covered by Council Officers and Civic Centre agreements, have accepted council’s offer in principle,’’ he said.

“We are now working to deliver a wage increase, back paid to October 1, before Christmas as a show of good faith to these employees who have accepted our offer.

“Council recognises the ongoing impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on our employees and Ipswich residents.

“We believe the offer made to the CFMEU, AWU and TWU was fair and reasonable, in

keeping with what ratepayers would expect.”