From Transport Workers Union
City council run-around puts Shoalhaven jobs at risk
Posted in:
TWU NEWS,
WOLLONGONG
By Lee Lawler
8 Dec, 2009
8 Dec, 2009
The Transport Workers Union will seek urgent talks with Shoalhaven City Councillors today about the tendering process for the waste removal contract after Mayor Paul Green repeatedly rebuffed attempts at dialogue.
Local TWU official Lee Lawler, accompanied by several workers, will present a letter to Councillors at 4pm to request that the company responsible for awarding the contract ensures fair pay and safe conditions are taken into account.
“We approached Cr Green to discuss the matter but he said he could not talk to tender applicants or their representatives,” Mr Lawler said. “When we told he we were completely independent, his response was silence and inaction.
“When shonky companies go in cheap to win tenders, they look to boost the profit margin by skimping on wages, conditions and safety.
“For example, a company servicing Nowra, Ulladulla and Batemans Bay has serious OHS problems, including wheels falling off trucks, a driver having to park the front of the truck into the side of the hill coming down Kangaroo Valley mountain due to brake failure, and four to five instances where the front lift truck windscreens have been hit by the bins due to obsolete technology which the company will not replace or upgrade.
“The other side of this coin is that these companies tend to have little or no development of company policies or compliance with relevant State and Federal legislation. There are more often than not toxic environments for employees where they are subject to harassment and intimidation.”
Mr Lawler said Council actions had to reflect its duty to ratepayers to foster a safe and prosperous community.
“Paul Green is on the record saying his priorities include ‘transparency in governance’ and making the Shoalhaven ‘a truly great place to work, rest, stay and play for all ages’,” he said.
“He says, ‘I want our children to have the choice to play and work locally if they wish but he fails in these commitments.
“Refusing to meet the representatives of workers with uncertain futures is the opposite of open government. And if the council’s procurement methods lead to lowest-bidder contractors winning tenders, the Shoalhaven will be a dangerous and dispiriting place to work, where workers will have less time to rest — a place where they won’t want to stay.
“We hope Councillors will give the community the necessary assurances that no family will be disadvantaged by the next contract. The TWU is keen to work with the Council to pursue the common interest of fair, safe workplaces — one of the cornerstones of community.”
Lee Lawler and workers will be available for interview, on-site or beforehand.
Media Contact: Michael Wong 0404 682 000
“We approached Cr Green to discuss the matter but he said he could not talk to tender applicants or their representatives,” Mr Lawler said. “When we told he we were completely independent, his response was silence and inaction.
“When shonky companies go in cheap to win tenders, they look to boost the profit margin by skimping on wages, conditions and safety.
“For example, a company servicing Nowra, Ulladulla and Batemans Bay has serious OHS problems, including wheels falling off trucks, a driver having to park the front of the truck into the side of the hill coming down Kangaroo Valley mountain due to brake failure, and four to five instances where the front lift truck windscreens have been hit by the bins due to obsolete technology which the company will not replace or upgrade.
“The other side of this coin is that these companies tend to have little or no development of company policies or compliance with relevant State and Federal legislation. There are more often than not toxic environments for employees where they are subject to harassment and intimidation.”
Mr Lawler said Council actions had to reflect its duty to ratepayers to foster a safe and prosperous community.
“Paul Green is on the record saying his priorities include ‘transparency in governance’ and making the Shoalhaven ‘a truly great place to work, rest, stay and play for all ages’,” he said.
“He says, ‘I want our children to have the choice to play and work locally if they wish but he fails in these commitments.
“Refusing to meet the representatives of workers with uncertain futures is the opposite of open government. And if the council’s procurement methods lead to lowest-bidder contractors winning tenders, the Shoalhaven will be a dangerous and dispiriting place to work, where workers will have less time to rest — a place where they won’t want to stay.
“We hope Councillors will give the community the necessary assurances that no family will be disadvantaged by the next contract. The TWU is keen to work with the Council to pursue the common interest of fair, safe workplaces — one of the cornerstones of community.”
Lee Lawler and workers will be available for interview, on-site or beforehand.
Media Contact: Michael Wong 0404 682 000
© Copyright 2012 by Transport Workers Union