Brisbane bus strike pushed back as 1000 Brisbane librarians, call centre staff set to strike

Brisbane bus drivers have set a new date for a peak-hour strike as librarians, call centre staff and other unionists join a bitter pay dispute threatening to spread to all of council’s 8000 staff.

Wednesday’s planned bus strike has been moved back to Friday. It comes as council librarians, IT workers, call centre staff and other TSU members will strike on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Brisbane City Council bus drivers have pushed back a strike from Wednesday to Friday as 1000 librarians, call centre staff and other unionists join a bitter four-month pay dispute.

One union boss has warned all of council’s 8000 staff could walk off unless there was progress soon.

About 1000 librarians, call centre staff and other members of The Services Union (TSU) are set to strike on Thursday, February 27.

Council’s 2000 bus drivers were set to walk off the job for a second time on Wednesday between 4pm and 6pm, disrupting peak-hour traffic on the same day Kylie Minogue fans would converge on Boondall Entertainment Centre.

But Rail Tram and Bus Union state secretary Tom Brown announced on Monday afternoon that they had pushed the stoppage back to Friday, from 4-6pm, in the hope talks in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission on Wednesday would result in a breakthrough.

“We are not going to pass up the opportunity to reach an agreement so we will postpone our action,” he said.

“We will always bargain in good faith.”

TSU boss Neil Henderson said his members would stop work from 2-4pm on February 27.

They included librarians, call centre staff, IT workers, environmental health officers, supervisors, clerical and technical workers and network coordinators in business operation units.

They were fighting for the same pay deal as bus drivers - 4.35 per cent extra per year for the next two years.

The Services Union secretary Neil Henderson.

Council was offering all of its 8000 staff, covered by multiple unions, 3.75 per cent and 3.5 per cent spread over two years, which it said was well above inflation.

Deputy Mayor Fiona Cunningham said council’s offer of a 3.75 per cent pay rise in the first year was “fair, reasonable and more than double the current rate of inflation in Brisbane’’.

“This offer strikes a balance by ensuring we are spending within our means to keep costs down for all Brisbane residents while delivering the services needed to keep Brisbane moving,’’ she said.

“Regardless of union threats, we will continue to negotiate a fair and reasonable pay rise in good faith for our hardworking council staff.’’

Mr Henderson said the TSU, which had the second-largest number of members among council’s staff, was also concerned about changes to redundancy provisions which he claimed would cost workers thousands of dollars.

He said the longer the dispute with council dragged on the more likely other unions, such as the AWU and CFMEU, would take strike action.

Mr Henderson said backpay was a significant issue for his members and the other unions, as the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement talks had now been dragging on for four months.

“We need council to come to the party on backpay,’’ Mr Henderson said.

“There’s no reason why members should not be provided with four months of backpay.

“That’s how long they have been delivering productivity improvements for council.

“We are also still a way off getting an outcome on pay.’’

Council was approached for comment.

Dozens of unions across the state were currently in pay negotiations with the new state government, or their EBAs were due to expire this year, ushering in a potentially bruising “strike season’’.

Police have been holding out for 5 per cent annual rises.

The 74,000-strong nurses and midwives union warned on the weekend that they would not rule out industrial action if the government refused to boost its offer of a total pay rise of eight per cent spread over three years.

Originally published as Brisbane bus strike pushed back as 1000 Brisbane librarians, call centre staff set to strike