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The Australian Services Union is the largest local government union in Australia. The National Local Government Division is the largest industry in the Australian Services Union, making up about half of the Union's membership.
We have members in the following areas:
- libraries
- road construction and maintenance
- parks and gardens
- finance
- homecare
- refuse collection
- child care
- planning
- local laws
- recreation and swimming centres
- call centres
- administration
The local government members are contained in Branches throughout the country. Most of the industrial activities are conducted at the Branch level. All local government awards are State-based and many councils have their own enterprise agreements of which the ASU is a party.
The ASU National Local Government Division (NLGD)
The National Local Government Division meets twice a year and consists of senior elected officials of all ASU local government Branches and is convened by the National Office.
These meetings tend to focus upon industry trends or matters of national importance, such as outsourcing, municipal mergers, training, road funding, enterprise clauses etc. These meetings enable information and ideas to be disseminated across the Union.
National meetings are critical in order to follow national contractors who, unlike councils, do not confine their activities to one State.
There is also a Local Government Seminar held at the ASU's Biennial National Conference for industry delegates. This is the opportunity for the membership to gather nationally to consider topical matters affecting local government.
National Trends
Although Local Government has been a creature of State legislation, many matters confronting employees are the same across the country. In the last ten years, for example, ASU members have become increasingly threatened by outsourcing of local government functions.
Therefore, local government is a national industry, faced as it is by the increasingly national agendas of Governments and trade, and the diminishing role of geographical borders, that do not stop roads, telecommunications, electricity and trade.
In Victoria, workers' conditions and security of employment were fundamentally undermined by the introduction of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) in 1994. The imposition on councils to forcibly tender their work resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs and the deterioration of council services.
The ASU campaigned for the abolition of CCT and ran an effective "CCT NOT FOR ME" campaign that played a role in the regional backlash suffered by the Kennett Government. With the election of the Bracks Government these anti-worker laws were abolished. This law was replaced with Best Value legislation that requires that councils have regard to employment maintenance and growth when determining service levels and compels councils to consult staff on matters affecting their work.
In other States local councils are attempting to undermine job security by outsourcing functions. At present the ASU is challenging such moves by legal and industrial means. In September the ASU won a very important decision in the Federal Court of Australia that found that efforts to pressure council staff to reduce their employment conditions or lose their jobs to a contractor was unlawful.
The ASU has also been at the forefront of legal moves to ensure that contractors pay no less than councils. Last year, Federal Court consent orders compelled a contractor of homecare services to pay the same conditions that were enjoyed by the Council staff before the function was outsourced.
In New South Wales the State government attempted to tie road funding to competitive tendering. The Union successfully conducted a community and political campaign that led to the government backing down.
These important results have national application and will strengthen ASU members' capacity to keep their jobs and enjoy reasonable conditions and security of employment across Australia.
Greg McLean
Assistant National Secretary
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