The decision by a union representing council workers to ally with the notoriously militant construction union CFMEU is sparking fears among ratepayers about strikes, higher wages and higher rates.
The decision to represent workers who were previously members of the Australian Services Union, which has 135,000 members nationwide, came through the rival Municipal and Utility Workers Union (MUWU), which decided to join forces with the CFMEU.
MUWU spokesman Darren Creswell said its members allied themselves with the CFMEU, whose Victorian state secretary is the controversial John Setka, because “they are a militant union”.
‘That’s one of the main reasons we cross, and something they are very, very strong on is health and safety. And that’s the best thing about them.’
Construction union CFMEU is attempting to intervene in pay negotiations for council workers in Victoria, and ratepayers fear this could lead to militancy, strikes and higher rates. The union’s Victorian state secretary, John Setka, is pictured with a loudspeaker.
“The only thing I want to make sure is that everyone goes home at the end of the day,” he said.
Thanks to this measure, the CFMEU will try to get involved in salary negotiations between municipal workers, such as garbage collectors and gardeners, and city councils.
But Dean Hurlston, president of Council Watch, a lobby group that exists to hold local government to account, expressed widespread fears among taxpayers about what such a move could mean.
‘The CFMEU is known for increasing salaries. Councils cannot afford this without deep cuts to services,’ Mr Hurlston told Daily Mail Australia.
“At a time when many are questioning the value and results of boards more than ever, Setka must stay away from an industry that does not need his salary negotiation tactics,” he said.
‘The executive directors of the council no longer know how to negotiate anything, can you imagine them against Setka? They might as well give you the keys to the bank vault now.
“Sekta has targeted a very weak cohort and they know it.”
Setka said city councils seem to be more interested in “gender-neutral bathrooms” than staff, and predicts that large numbers of municipal workers will join the CFMEU.
“While the rest of the union movement is disappearing up its own ass, we are actually growing,” he told the Herald of the sun.
‘If everyone hates us so much, why do they want to join us?
“Many blue-collar workers are not served and see their union just happily applauding future politicians who don’t give a damn.”
But Tash Wark, deputy secretary of the Australian Services Union, said “the CFMEU has no place in local government”.
“The ASU is the local government union and will continue to represent the interests of all local government workers,” he said.
Creswell said MUWU was the first to approach the CFMEU, not the other way around.
‘We approached them because we had the members but we didn’t have the experience to keep trying (to negotiate with the councils) ourselves.
“And then we approached the CFMEU and they said yes, because they had done local governments in Queensland, Canberra, South Australia and Tasmania.”
He said the CFMEU responded that “if people wanted to cross (it), they would be happy to do so because all they wanted was for everyone to be in a union because the ASU just didn’t cover us.”
Creswell said that was the reason we started in the first place.
‘There were four people who started the MUWU and we simply didn’t have the experience to move forward. So we thought the best idea was to get the support of the CFMEU.’
He said a lot is said about the CFMEU that is “incorrect.”
“This is the kind of thing that ASU has put out there… that you would be on strike every two weeks… that’s just not right.”
Creswell said ASU has turned him down a bit: “But it’s okay.” I can pick and choose wherever I go.’
“Everyone has a choice and if the choice is to go for the CFMEU, that’s what we will do.”
‘The CFMEU is known for increasing salaries. “Councils can’t afford this without deep cuts to services,” said Council Watch president Dean Hurlston. Pictured is a council worker.
Tanya Tescher, secretary of the Victorian Residents and Ratepayers Association, also criticized the move.
“If the CFMEU tries to influence municipal workers, there may be ramifications,” he said.
Ms Tescher said this could lead to “demands for large wage increases (which) will have a possible impact on municipal budgets and the allocation of money in municipal budgets, thus affecting the services provided to residents”.
Meanwhile, the ASU, which still represents the majority of local government workers, has launched a legal challenge against the planned expansion of the CFMEU.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Setka and Wark for further comment.