30 April 2014

Legal bid to stop garbage strikes

| Canfan
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Legal action lodged in a bid to stop the planned garbage strikes protests that the strike does not comply with the requirements of the Fair Work Act (according to an article in the Canberra Times).

Sita Australia lodged the claim to the Fair Work Commission, hoping to stop planned industrial action.

At this stage, planned strikes will go ahead according to Transport Workers Union secretary Klaus Pinkas, who has commented on the silence from Sita in recent negotiations.

According to Mr Pinkas, workers are $100 to $150 per week worse off under a new pay arrangement, which came into effect when Sita took over the garbage collection contract in October last year.

Luke Shcpen, Corporate Affairs Manager for Sita, denies that drivers are working the same hours to less money.

In preparation for the strike, fees on household waste drop offs at the Mitchell and Mugga tips will be waived on the days of action and opening hours at the two centres will be extended to 6pm.

Suburbs expected to be affected by the strike action are Amaroo, Bonner, Cook, Crace, Dunlop, Forde, Gungahlin, Hawker, Higgins, Holt, Jacka, Latham, Macgregor, Macquarie, Moncrieff, Ngunnawal, Palmerston, Scullin and Weetangara. Collections may also be missed at Aranda, Belconnen, Bruce, Casey, Charnwood, Dunlop, Evatt, Florey, Flynn, Fraser, Fyshwick, Giralang, Hall, Kaleen, Lawson, McKellar, Melba, Nicholls, North Lyneham, Page and Spence.

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wildturkeycanoe said :

KB1971 said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

Whew! I was worried our street would start stinking by the long weekend, at least we get rid of the re-cycling that is almost full now. Next week is better, we can plan ahead for the normal litter only and take an occasional plastic bag to a public bin to minimise the overflow.
Having the Mitchell or Mugga lane tips open for free dumping is utter nonsense. How many people in your street have a trailer or ute they can fit a green wheelie bin in? I know our eight closest immediate neighbors all haven’t got that ability so they can’t get rid of anything for free.

Hehehe, gee you have a tough life in a tough neighborhood……no buses to take you home after an event by the lake, cyclists out to kill you and no way to take responsibility of your own garbage if you have to…….I sometime wonder if you make this stuff up.

In my neighborhood I have a trailer, my immediate neighbours have a trailer, the bloke across the road has a trailer, the people two doors up have one, the bloke next to them has a ute and across the road from him a small truck.

Im sure one of us could help out those that don’t have one and need to have a bin emptied.

As was pointed out to you in the bus rant you had, not every solution the Government puts forward is 100% suitable for everybody, that is why we need to take responsibility for ourselves………

Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning or do you just make personal attacks for pleasure?
Maybe you could send some of your neighbors over our way next week then, seeing there is such an oversupply of equipment that is suitable.

No, no…I woke up fine. I just giggle at your “hardships” that’s all. If you have a genuine need I am happy to help but if you are just being lazy then nup.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:41 pm 24 Apr 14

wildturkeycanoe said :

KB1971 said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

Whew! I was worried our street would start stinking by the long weekend, at least we get rid of the re-cycling that is almost full now. Next week is better, we can plan ahead for the normal litter only and take an occasional plastic bag to a public bin to minimise the overflow.
Having the Mitchell or Mugga lane tips open for free dumping is utter nonsense. How many people in your street have a trailer or ute they can fit a green wheelie bin in? I know our eight closest immediate neighbors all haven’t got that ability so they can’t get rid of anything for free.

Hehehe, gee you have a tough life in a tough neighborhood……no buses to take you home after an event by the lake, cyclists out to kill you and no way to take responsibility of your own garbage if you have to…….I sometime wonder if you make this stuff up.

In my neighborhood I have a trailer, my immediate neighbours have a trailer, the bloke across the road has a trailer, the people two doors up have one, the bloke next to them has a ute and across the road from him a small truck.

Im sure one of us could help out those that don’t have one and need to have a bin emptied.

As was pointed out to you in the bus rant you had, not every solution the Government puts forward is 100% suitable for everybody, that is why we need to take responsibility for ourselves………

Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning or do you just make personal attacks for pleasure?
Maybe you could send some of your neighbors over our way next week then, seeing there is such an oversupply of equipment that is suitable.

Where is the personal attack?

wildturkeycanoe1:28 pm 24 Apr 14

KB1971 said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

Whew! I was worried our street would start stinking by the long weekend, at least we get rid of the re-cycling that is almost full now. Next week is better, we can plan ahead for the normal litter only and take an occasional plastic bag to a public bin to minimise the overflow.
Having the Mitchell or Mugga lane tips open for free dumping is utter nonsense. How many people in your street have a trailer or ute they can fit a green wheelie bin in? I know our eight closest immediate neighbors all haven’t got that ability so they can’t get rid of anything for free.

Hehehe, gee you have a tough life in a tough neighborhood……no buses to take you home after an event by the lake, cyclists out to kill you and no way to take responsibility of your own garbage if you have to…….I sometime wonder if you make this stuff up.

In my neighborhood I have a trailer, my immediate neighbours have a trailer, the bloke across the road has a trailer, the people two doors up have one, the bloke next to them has a ute and across the road from him a small truck.

Im sure one of us could help out those that don’t have one and need to have a bin emptied.

As was pointed out to you in the bus rant you had, not every solution the Government puts forward is 100% suitable for everybody, that is why we need to take responsibility for ourselves………

Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning or do you just make personal attacks for pleasure?
Maybe you could send some of your neighbors over our way next week then, seeing there is such an oversupply of equipment that is suitable.

wildturkeycanoe said :

Whew! I was worried our street would start stinking by the long weekend, at least we get rid of the re-cycling that is almost full now. Next week is better, we can plan ahead for the normal litter only and take an occasional plastic bag to a public bin to minimise the overflow.
Having the Mitchell or Mugga lane tips open for free dumping is utter nonsense. How many people in your street have a trailer or ute they can fit a green wheelie bin in? I know our eight closest immediate neighbors all haven’t got that ability so they can’t get rid of anything for free.

Hehehe, gee you have a tough life in a tough neighborhood……no buses to take you home after an event by the lake, cyclists out to kill you and no way to take responsibility of your own garbage if you have to…….I sometime wonder if you make this stuff up.

In my neighborhood I have a trailer, my immediate neighbours have a trailer, the bloke across the road has a trailer, the people two doors up have one, the bloke next to them has a ute and across the road from him a small truck.

Im sure one of us could help out those that don’t have one and need to have a bin emptied.

As was pointed out to you in the bus rant you had, not every solution the Government puts forward is 100% suitable for everybody, that is why we need to take responsibility for ourselves………

frg1978 said :

Name any other industry that pays overtime rates for the 5th day of work?

One lift company in town has a four day week thus any work done after their 36 (or 38, I forget) hour week is overtime. It’s what they and their union negotiated with their employer.

frg1978 said :

Name any other industry that pays overtime rates for the 5th day of work?

Mining, on a 4on/4off sched. In saying that, that was working 12 hr shifts. I don’t know what schedule this mob are on.

miz said :

Seems against the ‘fair go’ principle to do the same hours but get paid a lot less just because a new contractor took over. I know I’d miss the usual money coming in, and feel aggrieved, if it happened to me.

Unless your a public servant with unreasonable expectations and wanting well above average redundancy packages, the garbos got a better deal than many others, in keeping their jobs. Many others have worked for a private company that loses the gov contract and thus they lose their job.

Name any other industry that pays overtime rates for the 5th day of work?

miz said :

Seems against the ‘fair go’ principle to do the same hours but get paid a lot less just because a new contractor took over. I know I’d miss the usual money coming in, and feel aggrieved, if it happened to me.

It is totally against the idea of a fair go… But at least the drivers appear to have simply stepped from one job to another. I was once in a job which largely consisted of supplying IT equipment to the ACT Gov’t. When the company I worked for failed to win the contract, the work all went to a competitor, and I became unemployed.

Seems against the ‘fair go’ principle to do the same hours but get paid a lot less just because a new contractor took over. I know I’d miss the usual money coming in, and feel aggrieved, if it happened to me.

wildturkeycanoe7:13 am 23 Apr 14

Whew! I was worried our street would start stinking by the long weekend, at least we get rid of the re-cycling that is almost full now. Next week is better, we can plan ahead for the normal litter only and take an occasional plastic bag to a public bin to minimise the overflow.
Having the Mitchell or Mugga lane tips open for free dumping is utter nonsense. How many people in your street have a trailer or ute they can fit a green wheelie bin in? I know our eight closest immediate neighbors all haven’t got that ability so they can’t get rid of anything for free.

The strike’s been postponed – http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-22/canberra-garbage-collectors-strike-postponed/5404398

Seems the union didn’t give SITA enough notice, so they’ve got to hold off until next week.

Under Cleanaway a driver worked a 4 day week, and a fifth day on overtime rates.

Under SITA a driver works a 5 day week.

I empathise with the drivers as their wages have been affected. However, the blame should go back to whoever negotiated the previous Cleanaway contract.

Felix the Cat2:28 pm 22 Apr 14

The issue seems to be that since Sita took over the contract from Cleanaway the driver’s working hours, even though are reportedly the same as previous, are somehow structured so they are no longer eligble for meal alllowances meaning their actual income has dropped $100-$150 per week.

Why arent the garbos public servants the rest of the act is

dungfungus said :

Roundhead89 said :

The decision to dump Cleanaway and give the contract to SITA has been a disaster. Nothing was wrong with Cleanaway, this was obviously done by some bureaucrat as a make work scheme to try and justify his employment. Our garbage collection is now regularly late, the new contractors don’t collect on Good Friday and Christmas Day like Cleanaway did and I don’t like the colour of their trucks. Not surprised to hear that the unions aren’t happy, either.

Cleanaway’s trucks were vintage hand-me -downs from NSW and were still registered in NSW so ACT got no revenue through Road User Services.
Their hydraulics were always leaking whereas the new SITA trucks are perfect. They also run on bio-diesel. Rattenbury got it right this time.
The unions are never happy; what did you say about “justifying employment”?

I suspect that SITA was also able to bid lower because their cost were calculated based on what they pay their workers… While I agree that it would suck if you were given the choice of doing the same job for a different company for less money, or being unemployed, I can’t see what grounds the union actually has to force SITA to pay more? Are they not a seperate entity and thus not bound by what Cleanaway was doing?

Roundhead89 said :

The decision to dump Cleanaway and give the contract to SITA has been a disaster. Nothing was wrong with Cleanaway, this was obviously done by some bureaucrat as a make work scheme to try and justify his employment. Our garbage collection is now regularly late, the new contractors don’t collect on Good Friday and Christmas Day like Cleanaway did and I don’t like the colour of their trucks. Not surprised to hear that the unions aren’t happy, either.

Cleanaway’s trucks were vintage hand-me -downs from NSW and were still registered in NSW so ACT got no revenue through Road User Services.
Their hydraulics were always leaking whereas the new SITA trucks are perfect. They also run on bio-diesel. Rattenbury got it right this time.
The unions are never happy; what did you say about “justifying employment”?

The decision to dump Cleanaway and give the contract to SITA has been a disaster. Nothing was wrong with Cleanaway, this was obviously done by some bureaucrat as a make work scheme to try and justify his employment. Our garbage collection is now regularly late, the new contractors don’t collect on Good Friday and Christmas Day like Cleanaway did and I don’t like the colour of their trucks. Not surprised to hear that the unions aren’t happy, either.

No problems in my part of Tuggeranong this morning. In fact, the garbage was collected shortly after 7.00am. It is usually collected 6 hours later in the day.
I am wondering if this has something to do with the planned strike in North Canberra.

Canfan, you need to start stating your sources. You can’t just plagiarise.

Sorry jl – updated.

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