25 signatures reached
To: Glenorchy City Council
Fair Wage Rises
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Only a total of 52% of Council's employees voted Yes to the recent Enterprise Agreement and many felt under pressure to do so with a 10 year budget deficit prediction.
Many of you have told us you were surprised to read in the Mercury (17 June 2021) the news that Council's budget was revised to forecast a return to budget surplus 5 years earlier than anticipated and just weeks after your Agreement was registered.
Glenorchy City Council Acting Mayor Bec Thomas said,
"..we’re now aiming to be back in surplus by the 2025-26 financial year – five years
earlier than we originally predicted.”
Tony McMullen - General Manager, Glenorchy City Council said in February 2021 they were predicting a 10 year return to surplus and asked workers to carry the burden by forgoing reasonable wage claims.
Mr McMullen further said,
"Should we find ourselves to be in a much stronger place than anticipated, then we will reassess the recommended position on salary increments."
We are pleased to see an improved budget position and can see no reason why our wage offer of a low ball 2.1% annual wage increase for the next 4 years can't now be reviewed. Workers have already experienced a twelve month wage freeze to support Council during the pandemic and they don't want to fall further behind.
With a budget turn around, and the recent Fair Work decision to increase the minimum wage by 2.5% the evidence is mounting.
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe speaking before the June Australian Bureau of Statistics release of the jobs figures said he, "expected the consumer price index to spike to about 3.5 per cent in the June quarter due to the unwinding of some pandemic-related price reductions."
Many of you have told us you were surprised to read in the Mercury (17 June 2021) the news that Council's budget was revised to forecast a return to budget surplus 5 years earlier than anticipated and just weeks after your Agreement was registered.
Glenorchy City Council Acting Mayor Bec Thomas said,
"..we’re now aiming to be back in surplus by the 2025-26 financial year – five years
earlier than we originally predicted.”
Tony McMullen - General Manager, Glenorchy City Council said in February 2021 they were predicting a 10 year return to surplus and asked workers to carry the burden by forgoing reasonable wage claims.
Mr McMullen further said,
"Should we find ourselves to be in a much stronger place than anticipated, then we will reassess the recommended position on salary increments."
We are pleased to see an improved budget position and can see no reason why our wage offer of a low ball 2.1% annual wage increase for the next 4 years can't now be reviewed. Workers have already experienced a twelve month wage freeze to support Council during the pandemic and they don't want to fall further behind.
With a budget turn around, and the recent Fair Work decision to increase the minimum wage by 2.5% the evidence is mounting.
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe speaking before the June Australian Bureau of Statistics release of the jobs figures said he, "expected the consumer price index to spike to about 3.5 per cent in the June quarter due to the unwinding of some pandemic-related price reductions."
Why is this important?
We want to come to work with certainty our wages will increase in line with our day to day living expenses. We have supported the Glenorchy community through a pandemic and continued to deliver high quality services. We want to continue to thrive and to support local businesses in Glenorchy and we can only do that when our wages don't go backwards.
Will the Glenorchy General Manager stay true to his word? Will those on Council and running for election show us the respect we deserve?
Council can come good an commit to an improved annual administrative increase and reintroduce the CPI safety net, ensuring that in the event CPI is higher than the fixed percentage wage rise, we as worker's aren't left battling to make ends meet.
Will the Glenorchy General Manager stay true to his word? Will those on Council and running for election show us the respect we deserve?
Council can come good an commit to an improved annual administrative increase and reintroduce the CPI safety net, ensuring that in the event CPI is higher than the fixed percentage wage rise, we as worker's aren't left battling to make ends meet.