New waste contract a load of rubbish

The recent transfer of tenure for waste management in the City of Sydney has left the City engulfed in a miasma.

United Resource Management took over waste management responsibilities in March. Under the previous contractor, Veolia, workers were receiving above award wages but have now had to take a pay cut.

According the Transport Workers Union, who is responsible for negotiating the sector’s award, around 40 workers have lost $200 a week in income and had their leave entitlements annulled since the switch.

But City of Sydney Council denied it knowingly put workers pay and conditions at stake when it decided on the successful waste collection tender.

“All tenure applicants offered to pay award wages to workers,” a City spokesperson said.

Council has refused to take responsibility for the lost wages, arguing that pay and working conditions should be negotiated between URM, the employees, and the Transport Workers Union.

However, David Carey from the ALP Sydney State Electorate Council said any financial loss suffered by employees was unacceptable, and it was the responsibility of Council to compensate them.

He was also concerned about the procedure by which council contracts were awarded to companies.

“It is ironic that [Lord Mayor] Clover Moore, who was so outspoken against Work Choices, has now started a race to the bottom in terms of pay and conditions and fired the starting pistol,” he said.

According to residents, the reduction in the cost of wages has led to poorer services.

They are relentlessly complaining to Council about missed or late pickups, and in a densely populated area like central Sydney, problems such as these have a knack of making themselves conspicuous.

To compensate, Council has resorted to offering residents a reduction in rates, which they claim is standard procedure.

They also say “teething problems” such as these should be expected in major contract changes.

The Transport Workers Union held a wheelie bin rally on the 8th of April to protest against the pay cuts enforced upon waste management teams, at the end of which they presented a petition to Clover Moore.

Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann has demanded URM negotiate with the union and has also passed a motion declaring workers should never lose pay or conditions in future contract negotiations.

URM has now agreed to talk with the TWU and an outcome should be reached by the end of the week.

By Marcus Coombs