120,000 bins to be left kerbside by fuming garbos as pay war rolls on

A South East Queensland garbo strike will resume on Friday, and residents are being warned it could affect 120,000 collections, as pay negotiations continue to stall.

Ipswich garbos will go back on strike on Friday and possibly also next Monday and Tuesday. Picture: TWU

Union members including garbos are still planning to continue their strike action on Friday and next Monday and Tuesday as enterprise bargaining negotiations with council remain deadlocked.

There would be about 120,000 missed bin collections if workers went ahead with planned strikes on Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

Ipswich City Council has meanwhile asked the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for help in brokering a deal.

Ipswich residents whose bins were not picked up on December 13, the first day of the rolling stoppages, were being asked to leave their red-lidded general household waste bins out from today, December 19, over the weekend until collected.

That included residents in Springfield, Springfield Lakes, Springfield Central, Camira, Gailes, Spring Mountain, Brookwater and White Rock.

Ipswich City Council Acting Chief Executive Officer Matt Smith said council would divert waste collection services to deliver a catch-up service.

Free drop off at council’s Riverview or Rosewood Resource Recovery Centres would continue to be available for residents whose regular bin collection service was not completed this week or last Friday.

“We will have collection services in the suburbs of Springfield and surrounds from 5am Thursday December 19, as well as those suburbs who are normally collected on a Thursday,” Mr Smith said.

Ipswich garbos will go back on strike on Friday and possibly also next Monday and Tuesday. Picture: TWU

“However, yellow-lidded recycling bins will not be collected on Thursday.

“Council is working hard to manage ongoing impacts on bin collection services.

“We will continue to assess what is possible for service delivery over the remainder of the week and respond to any changes.”

Transport Workers’ Union Qld director of organising, Josh Millroy, said workers were asking for a 15 per cent pay rise increase over three years, or $1.76 extra per hour.

He said there were only 65 waste workers in Ipswich and council claims that the 15 per cent pay rise would add millions to council’s costs were false.

But a council spokesman said the three unions involved in the talks represented about 500 council staff, one third of its workforce, and the payrises would flow through to all of them.

A TWU spokesman said a garbarge collector’s yearly wage in Ipswich was $69,500, more than 30 per cent less than the Australian average, he said.

Ipswich City Council field staff, who have also been on strike, were on even less, he said.

Two-thirds of council’s workforce had already agreed to their recent certified agreements, which were separate to the field staff and Ipswich Waste staff.

“The … CEO’s decision to blame workers who want a modest pay rise is a disgrace,’’ Mr Millroy said.

“Council need to stop dragging their own residents and workforce through the mud over an extra $1.76 per hour.

“The industrial action has already shown just how critical these workers are, as Council continues to feel the heat from disgruntled residents.”

“If Council come to the table with a revised offer we’re more than happy to continue negotiations.”

Ipswich garbos will go back on strike on Friday and possibly also next Monday and Tuesdeay. Picture: TWU

Mr Smith said they asked the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission earlier today, December 19, for help to reach an agreement with the three unions.

He said council believed that its current offer, including a 12.75 per cent pay increase over three years and a transition to a 36.25 hour working week by 1 July 2026, was fair for staff and ratepayers.

“If council accepted the 15 per cent claim by the three unions, it would come at a cost of millions of dollars, and would mean either increasing rates or cutting services. That is not what the community expects of us,” he said.

“We are disappointed that the wages dispute is causing residents frustration and keeping residents’ bins full in the lead-up to Christmas.

“We believe we have made a fair offer to the three unions – the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy, Industrial Union, Australian Workers’ Union and the Transport Workers’ Union, and the 500 council staff they represent.

“Two-thirds of our workforce have accepted this offer.

“In the course of these negotiations, we have had 20 meetings with unions.

“We have been willing to keep meeting with them. We met on Monday without result, and have been in regular email contact with the unions throughout this week.’’