On Tuesday 23 August 2016, the United Services Union filed a dispute with the Industrial Relations Commission, as a result of a unanimous motion endorsed by more than 240 USU members of the newly amalgamated Georges River Council who attended a ‘stop working’ (Mortdale Depot) meeting earlier that morning.
Georges River interim GM Gail Connolly faces stand-off with workers as a result of:
- Attempting to steam roll policies by not consulting adequately and genuinely through Council’s JCC and the USU, particularly stripping employees’ fundamental rights e.g. being “Grievance and Dispute Policy” denying workers the right to 1) Have the right to appeal 2) Have the right to a support person 3) Council can issue a warning to an employee and it does not need to be supported.
- Council wanted the balance of power on their Consultative Committee to ensure significant changes were implemented without any resistance which is inconsistent with Award provisions or representative of the workforce as a whole.
- More than half (close to 300 members) of the GM’s staff have lost Confidence and a petition with signatures reflect this 3 months into the job.
Through collective hard team work and standing up to the GM letting her know we will not tolerate her rubbish policies or dictatorship which we achieved the balance of power on the JCC for the workers and the Grievance and Dispute Policy was revoked.
The members of Georges River mean “business” and will continue to ensure their interim GM “Gail” will not attempt a repeat occurrence of the last 6-8 weeks.
