September 2, 2022
Gympie mayor Glen Hartwig has blamed people “not from our region” for what he described as the “unprecedented” protest march in Gympie’s main street on Wednesday.
In a video posted on social media, Mayor Hartwig said he was “disgusted” by the protest which he said lacked “empathy” for what Gympie has gone through in recent months.
The walkout by Council employees and subsequent march down Mary Street followed a stalemate in enterprise bargaining negotiations.
“I saw individuals, particularly a lot of people that were not from our region (who) have driven from their air-conditioned offices in Brisbane to come and create a scene in a town which has been absolutely smashed over the last eight months by wet weather,” Mayor Hartwig said.
“We saw the worst flood in living memory occur in February / March. These people walked past business owners who have spent tens and, some of them, hundreds of thousands of dollars repairing their businesses so they can trade again.
“There are people that have lost their livelihoods due to the floods. There are staff who have had to look for other work because those businesses no longer exist.
“To march up that street in front of those business owners that have suffered a hell of a lot and demand a pay rise for their members, in my opinion, lacked empathy and lacked an understanding of the region that these people were coming to.”
Mayor Hartwig said he supported the right of Council workers to take industrial action, and said unions performed an “absolutely necessary” function in society.
“But if you’re going to march in the street, and you’re going to use profanity and you’re going to behave in the manner that you did, you need to look around and see the audience that you’re in front of,” he said.
“To rub your demands, or rub these business owners’ noses in the proverbial, so you can get your five minutes on TV is not the way we do things in Gympie.
“We are people that care about one another and we have an organisation of staff that over the last eight months has gone above and beyond to serve this community and improve the reputation of this local government entity …
“To drag this region’s reputation, and this organisation’s reputation, into the gutter for your five minutes of glory is not how we like to do things in Gympie and certainly did not bring you respect or admiration with the wider community.”
Mayor Hartwig said Council was keen to negotiate with the employees and had an offer “on the table”.
He urged the unions to act in a “professional” manner and not make “lofty demands”.
“This is a town of caring people and the actions of individuals that don’t live in this region, tripped (sic) in for the day is not how we like to do things.”
- Related article: Workers March On Council
