Two supervisors at Waverley Council were told their weekly on-call allowance would be halved as management claimed it was an “error” in their contracts.
These members, who are responsible for overseeing Civil and Trades teams, were receiving the allowance as part of their contractual entitlements, totalling approximately $5,600 a year. Council proposed cutting the allowance by 50%.
It’s not fair how quickly employers can try to strip your entitlements. Had these workers not been members of the Union, they wouldn’t have had anyone to protect what they work for. Management would have been able to move ahead and reduce their pay.
But the union made it clear: if it’s in the contract, it should be honoured. After meeting with each member and confirming the terms of their contracts, the USU advocated for their right to maintain the full allowance.
The result?
Both supervisors retained their full allowance under a ‘present occupant only’ arrangement and avoided a sudden, unfair cut to their income.
This win is a reminder of how quickly employers can try to change the rules and how important it is to have the union by your side to protect what you’ve worked for.
