Yesterday on 7/02/2023, Cleanaway workers at City of Sydney took protected industrial action in the long fight for pay parity and better conditions.
Workers at City of Sydney are some $4.00 behind most other Cleanaway yards in NSW. “We want… no, we deserve an increase. It is not fair. We are paid that much lower than the other yards, and why? We just want what’s fair”, said one TWU member.
This action was the third taken by workers in City of Sydney. The first two actions have sent a strong message to Cleanaway management; with workers turning their frustration into a powerful voice in the same job same pay fight. TWU NSW/QLD State Secretary Richard Olsen said, “Cleanaway themselves have done everything to frustrate all of the negotiations to date.”
Richard further adds, “The City of Sydney Council, upon their deafness, stand condemned for not getting involved, for not encouraging their contractor to sit with the union and find a compromised deal that will get everybody back to work”.
Historically speaking, Cleanaway has launched various attacks on its workers. Just last year, the TWU fought to reinstate a delegate who was unfairly sacked, while recently, workers in Erskine Park and even Queensland have had to take protected industrial action to fight over their conditions.
Richard congratulates the workers at City of Sydney for standing up, “Well done on yet another powerful action. This has been another big step in the direction of a favourable agreement.”
The action resulted in 35,000 uncollected bins in the City of Sydney area. Meanwhile, workers at Erskine Park are planning to take another protected industrial action themselves at the end of the week.