Central Coast Council staff: United Service Union members vote for motion of ‘no confidence’
Central Coast Council staff who are members of the United Services Union have taken action, voting for a motion of ‘no confidence’ in senior staff.
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Mass meetings of council staff have resulted in a motion of “no confidence" in Central Coast Council’s senior management team.
The United Service Union (USU) has released a statement indicating that meetings of its members, which makes up 80 per cent of council staff, had been held on numerous occasions over the past few weeks since council announced it was facing “liquidity issues and an $89m debt.
The crisis reached a head on October 21 when council announced it could not pay staff for the week ending October 18, forcing the State Government to bail them out with $6.2m in emergency funding.
The USU has released a list of concerns highlighted by council staff including:
■ “The shambolic attempt of the executive leadership team (ELT) to manage the council finances with unacceptable and continual consequences for staff wages, job security, council services, and reputation;
■ Putting all council workers’ wages at risk on 20 October 2020, in a bizarre attempt to force NSW Government intervention
■ Financial mismanagement leading to lower job security for USU members, with the payment of weekly wages and council’s financial future still not guaranteed while rash decisions are leading to less take-home pay and lower conditions of employment;
■ The failure of the ELT to provide any answers or information to the ratepayers or the workforce on how this financial mess occurred, or any real measures that will protect workers and community services”.
USU organiser (Central Coast) Luke Hutchinson said that as a result of this collective action, significant progress had been made through a meeting with interim administrator Dick Persson AM and acting chief executive officer Rik Hart who confirmed that weekly wages, entitlements and superannuation were safe.
“Our members from all areas of council have made a strong and proud collective stance to the management of Central Coast Council,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“Members in their hundreds have collectively said to the CEO and his ELT: enough is enough.
“Concerns about the lack of genuine consultation, threats of non-payment of wages, the council’s previous proposals of removing employee’s protection of wages and conditions, and a spike in industrial disputes has led to our member’s total frustration with the leadership.
It is no surprise members have taken this strong collective stance.”
Mr Persson confirmed that meetings had taken place with unions which represent council workers since his appointment.
“They expressed their frustrations and I understand they have a motion of no confidence,” he said.
“I listened to the concerns and I assured them that everyone would be paid.”
Mr Persson and Mr Hart have been brought in following the suspension of councillors. They are there to get to the bottom of council’s financial crisis and will prepare a report on their findings by the end of the month.