Unionised City of Ballarat workers to strike over wage negotiations

Nine months after their enterprise agreement expired, unionised City of Ballarat workers will strike and hold a protest over wage negotiations.

City of Ballarat employees will strike on Thursday.

Unionised City of Ballarat workers will strike for an hour on Thursday and hold a protest outside the town hall amid a pay dispute with the city.

Australian Service Union members are seeking a pay rise that they say will make their wages comparable to other councils.

A union spokesman said that Ballarat’s local government workers were paid 9 per cent less than those at Greater Geelong.

The council has offered a 3.5 per cent wage increase each year for the next three years, and the ASU’s counter offer is for a 5 per cent increase and two 6 per cent increases.

Both offers involve backdating pay to September 2023, when the most recent City of Ballarat enterprise agreement expired.

Those partaking in Thursday’s action will include waste collection drivers, office and gallery workers, as well as those involved in early childhood, parks and gardens, and parking enforcement and roads.

Rubbish trucks and other vehicles are expected to be in the street.

There are between 205 and 247 council workers who are union members, of 1100 employees.

The council and the union’s figures differ.

A City of Ballarat spokeswoman said the city was working to minimise disruption to residents.

“Management has finalised negotiations with relevant unions and delegates,” she said.

“We are now in the seven-day access period with the new enterprise agreement available for staff consideration.”

Voting on the new agreement will open on June 19 and close on June 25.

“The wage increase in the proposed new enterprise agreement is a leading offer among local governments in Victoria,” the spokeswoman said.

“It is in the top 10 per cent of all wage offers across the Victorian local government sector in year one, and it is the highest percentage increase of all local government wage offers negotiated to date for years two and three in 2024/25.”

Ballarat waste collection drivers went on strike on June 3, library workers protested outside the renovated library’s official opening on June 6, and ASU parking enforcement workers are issuing warnings rather than fines.