LHMU News
Government still blocking umpire from settling school worker pay dispute
The state government has again refused to agree to a proposal by the LHMU to have the long running school support worker pay dispute resolved by an independent umpire in the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC).
On Thursday, the union’s education delegates voted to reduce the number of issues that the union would press in arbitration. However, in a hearing last night before the WAIRC the government still refused to agree to the dispute being resolved by the WAIRC unless the union drops all claims other than a general wage increase.
Dave Kelly, secretary of the LHMU said: “Our delegates have made major concession to ensure this dispute comes to an end but we’re getting nothing back from the government. They are showing no interest in ending this dispute. Troy Buswell has been saying for months this dispute should be settled by the commission and now he is stalling.
“Our members began their campaign for a better pay deal back in August but the government has stonewalled them in bargaining meetings. Their only attempt at negotiation was insulting. They offered an extra 1% but only to education assistants and only if they gave up vital conditions like permanency and the right to minimal hours – conditions they fought to establish six years ago.
Buswell's boasts
“Just three days ago the treasurer Troy Buswell was boasting that WA would be achieving positive economic growth in 2009 and 2010. So surely the government can afford to up their offer to some of the lowest paid workers in the state? After all they seemed to be able to afford upping it for teachers who got 20% and giving some of their best paid civil servants huge bonuses.
“As Colin Barnett has himself admitted, education assistants, cleaners and gardeners do an incredibly important job in our schools and are rewarded with meager wages. Their wage increase was capped at 2.5% because, Mr Buswell said, of the global economic downturn. But WA is emerging from this relatively unscathed.
“As household bills go up and the cost of living rockets, the government should be showing our members the money.”
The government had publicly said the pay dispute should be arbitrated but last week told the commission they would only support it determining the dispute if the LHMU members conceded on issues like security arrangements for cleaners working alone and professional development for education assistants.
The commission meeting was adjourned until Tuesday at 8.30am with the union continuing to urge the government to reconsider its position.
