August 31, 2022
A long-running pay dispute involving employees at Gympie Regional Council boiled over into a snap walkout on Wednesday morning.
Members of the CFMEU, Australian Workers Union and the Services Union walked off the job at 8:00am to attend a meeting in Memorial Park before marching to Gympie Town Hall.
About 100 employees were involved in the protest over a breakdown in pay negotiations.
The employees’ previous Enterprise Agreement expired last December.
The unions have been seeking a two-year 5.5 per cent per annum pay rise.
The GRC initially offered a three-year deal of a 1.5 per cent which was immediately rejected by the workers.
Council’s most recent offer proposes a pay rise of 4 per cent per week, backdated to December 19, dropping back to 3.5 per cent for Year 2 of the agreement and 3 per cent for Year 3.
Ongoing negotiations between the parties have failed to reach a resolution, which has involved protected industrial action as well as threats of lockouts.
