In Tuesday night’s council meeting the independent councillors of Shellharbour City Council supported two motions that attack the work our members do and another that proposes to look to contract services out.
The motion to review the waste services is nothing more than a rouse to attempt to contract out work under the guise of “longevity”. This proposal if implemented could lead to the loss of a number of positions in councils waste services and put Dunmore waste facility at risk. It is ill thought out and does not consider the fact that workers in the waste facility are residents of the Shellharbour community. The ability to maintain full-time positions in Shellharbour Council stimulates growth in the Shellharbour economy rather than outsourcing to a private contractor based in Nowra. This motion was supported by new Mayor Chris Homer and his voting block of allegedly independent councillors. With only Labor councillors supporting the workers and speaking against the risk of redundancies and contractors
To make matters worse, Councillor John Davey moved a motion that is nothing more than a blatant attack against the Shellharbour Council workforce. Criticising the current mowing schedules and asking for a review into service and work schedules. This motion is a disgusting move that provides no recognition of the work council employees do, particularly in the face of some of worst rainfalls and flooding our LGA has experienced in several years. It is a coward punch to council’s workforce and an attempt to interfere with operational matters which is a breach of the code of conduct of councillors. This motion was again supported by Mayor Chris Homer and the block of independents.
This is shameful considering a recent economic review initiated by the South Coast Labour Council that found the Shellharbour City Council area is the only LGA on the south coast that has seen an overall reduction in public sector workers.
The USU will not stand for these attacks against our members who make up majority of council’s workforce. We are currently fighting actions of this nature state-wide in our campaign “Council Services by Council Workers” opposing the use of contract labour and supporting the work our members do, and we will do everything possible to support our members.
These motions prove Shellharbour Council has taken an anti-worker culture and Mayor Homer’s new leadership seems to be one that doesn’t appreciate and attacks its own workforce who are part of the Shellharbour Community.
