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Bunbury Council staff stall on pay rise

Bunbury Council staff stall on pay rise

Bunbury City Council employees are likely to knock back the latest Enterprise Bargaining Agreement offer because it is less than a guaranteed 3.5 per cent pay rise.

Australian Services Union senior industrial organiser Paul Cecchini said that senior council staff, including chief executive officer Andrew Brien, had offered council staff an annual pay rise of 2.5 per cent, about the rate of inflation.

However, the existing EBA agreement contained a safety net clause of an automatic pay rise of 3.5 per cent, or inflation plus 1 per cent, if there was no agreement before the EBA expired on June 30, he said.

Mr Cecchini said the situation gave his members no incentive to accept the council's offer.

"If you vote yes, you get 2.5 per cent or if you vote no, you get 3.5 per cent," he said.

"It's a no-brainer.

"There is no incentive for them to say, 'I'll take 2.5 per cent' - why would they?"

Mr Cecchini said the council had told staff that accepting the council's offer would result in "job security".

He said the council had hinted there could be job freezes or redundancies if staff relied on the safety net.

But feedback from union members indicated there had already been job freezes, said Mr Cecchini.

The negotiation comes in the wake of Mayor Gary Brennan making it clear the council had to control its spending.

Mr Brennan said he saw no difference between the council and a private company.

The corporate business plan adopted by the council states wage growth will be restricted to 1.5 per cent a year and there will be no increase in staff numbers.

"During the discussions for the budget, council made it clear to the CEO that salaries and wages had to be reined in," said Mr Brennan.

"The CEO is a very talented, creative man who is on a performance-based contract and he makes it work."

The council pays about $23 million a year in wages for its 370 employees.