Cleanaway garbos to strike

A GARBO strike across Geelong the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast is expected to leave businesses with overflowing bins.

Bin collection contractor Cleanaway was tight-lipped yesterday about the industrial action being taken by its drivers on Friday and Monday in its Geelong region, which stretches from south of Werribee to Colac, Lorne and across the Bellarine Peninsula.

It is understood residential rubbish will be collected because household bins are collected by another contractor.

Chris Fennell, the acting state secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union, said up to 10 drivers would walk off the job because they wanted better pay, and negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement were at an impasse.

Mr Fennell said the Geelong drivers collected business and industrial waste, but were paid less than Cleanaway drivers who did the same job in the Tullamarine region.

“Cleanaway haven’t treated their employees in Geelong fairly. This is not an over-thetop claim,” he said.

“They’re just looking to be paid the same as their counterparts in Tullamarine, who do the same work.”

A waste industry insider said the protected industrial action was likely to have a noticeable impact on streets of Geelong.

“If the bins haven’t been serviced Friday, Saturday, (Sunday) and Monday, you’re going to see a fair bit of rubbish lying around,” the unnamed source said.

Mr Fennell said the drivers deserved a better rate of pay for work that was dangerous and stressful, as they were constantly getting in and out of their vehicles in busy locations and negotiating their heavy the machines with little margin for error.

Cleanaway declined the opportunity to clarify the situation, responding with a one-line statement.

“Cleanaway remains committed to continuing negotiations and to reaching agreement on a sustainable and fair outcome. Maintaining our waste services as scheduled is a priority,” it said.

Mr Fennell said he expected about 10 workers to strike, and claimed that was Cleanaway’s driving workforce for Geelong.

City of Greater Geelong director of city services Guy Wilson-Browne said kerbside collection of household rubbish, recycling and green waste would not be affected, while the Surf Coast Shire said it was unaware of the looming action.

“Council has not been notified of any upcoming strike action by Cleanaway,” Surf Coast’s acting-chief executive, Anne Howard, said.