REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday, July 16, 1981

MAYOR Keith Hunt found himself in the middle of a battle between bureaucrats and unions.

He began visiting building sites and council depots to appraise claims by unions that the city’s workforce was furious over poor working conditions.

The move by the “peacemaker mayor” was seen as a positive step towards averting strike action by 800 people in the city.

Cr Hunt told the Bulletin that the unprecedented move was an important step towards dealing with outstanding issues.

“I have always believed it foolish to dodge an issue and shaping up to a problem usually clarifies the situation and points to a solution,” he said.

“By keeping my finger on the pulse of our outside workforce I hope to solve problems before they occur and demonstrate quite clearly my genuine concern and high regard for … employees.”

“The time factor and geographical layout of the city have made it impossible to get around to every job at the moment but rest assured I shall do so within the next few days.”

Meanwhile, council finance boss Keith Thompson temporarily resigned from his position in a dispute with Cr Hunt and bureaucrats over the budget.

Cr Hunt moved the budget’s delivery forward a week without discussing the matter with Cr Thompson.

Cr Thompson resigned, saying he would not have time to prepare.

A compromise was found by having the budget’s delivery brought back to July 16, allowing Cr Thompson to withdraw his resignation.