FIGHT – Council employees drive for improvement on safety and security

Unions covering Brisbane City Council workers continue to focus on safety and security issues in the face of Council misinformation about enterprise bargaining.

The dispute has dragged on for months, as the LNP controlled Brisbane City Council holds out, refusing to come to the table for meaningful negotiations.

At the time of publication, the dispute had just entered conciliation proceedings in the Industrial Relations Commission, but only after a series of major public protests had forced the Council to act.

Hundreds of council workers, led by striking bus drivers, have descended on King George Square for two huge rallies over recent months.

Members from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, the Transport Workers Union, The Services Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Electrical Trades Union, Professionals Australia, the Plumbers’ Union, the CFMEU and AWU came out in force calling on Brisbane City Council to come to the table on improvements to safety and working conditions.

Other issues of concern include employment security, fatigue management and pay.

The LNP-dominated Council continues to show how out of touch the LNP is across Australia, refusing to act on increasing costs of living for workers and their families, and the right of these workers to come home safe after a shift.

Safety is now a critical issue for bus drivers, with another reported assault on a bus driver in late August.