Noosa Council workers locked out without pay over dispute

Council workers in a luxe beachside suburb are being “locked out” for two days without pay as industrial action disrupts services.

Noosa Council Strike.

Council staff in a beachside suburb will be “locked out” for two days without pay as industrial action continues to disrupt community services.

According to the Australian Workers’ Union the Noosa Council will lock out staff for two days, today and tomorrow, May 2, leaving them without pay until Tuesday, May 6.

Australian Workers’ Union organiser Michael Anderson said the council was locking employees out over industrial action taken in regard to an ongoing pay dispute.

“A lock out is an extreme tactic used by an employer to intimidate their workforce into accepting a bad offer they do not want to accept,” Mr Anderson said.

According to the Noosa Council, staff members were offered a revised pay offer, with half a per cent increase, meaning their wages would increase by 14 per cent over three years.

Mr Anderson said staff working for the council were unable to live in the Noosa region while on their current wages.

“Noosa Council has a vacancy rate of 20%, that’s one in five positions, no one can afford to live in this community on these wages,” Mr Anderson said.

“Our members will meet to discuss their employer locking them out of their livelihood today and from the phone calls I’ve already had I can tell you it ain’t going to be pretty.”

Noosa Council CEO Larry Sengstock said the decision to lock out union members was due to the industrial action.

Noosa Council CEO Larry Sengstock said the decision to lock out union members was due to the industrial action affecting the local community.

“The backlog in work had got to a point where we had to take this legislative-supported action to allow us to look at alternative methods of delivering the services that our community expect,” Mr Sengstock said.

Mr Sengstock said about 20 per cent of the council’s workforce belonged to the union.

According to Mr Sengstock the union’s claims workers would all be forced out without pay were untrue.

“Staff are free to exercise their right to take protected industrial action and not be paid or they can return to work and be paid,” Mr Sengstock said.

“As for suggesting it is an extreme tactic, it is our right under the legislation and was only initiated because after offering an additional half a per cent wage increase, it was flatly refused by the unions, and we don’t have another meeting scheduled until next week with the Commission.

“The current offer will add millions of dollars to an already tight operational budget.”

Originally published as Noosa Council workers locked out without pay over dispute