ANGRY COUNCIL WORKERS VENT ABOUT CEO, MAYOR
MAYOR Tom Tate and council CEO Dale Dickson were targeted as up to 300 angry council workers staged a rally at the Broadwater Parklands yesterday.
The council workers were furious after being told that during talks at the Industrial Commission this week they had been accused of tarnishing the Coast’s brand by threatening to strike during the Commonwealth Games.
Paul Taylor from the CFMEU held up a front page copy of the Bulletin featuring the Mayor and CEO and reporting about an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
The unions will not strike between March 19-April 27 but they have vowed to step up their fight, which they say is to retain conditions rather than a massive pay increase after the Games.
“As an ex-council worker of 25 years I know what it’s like to work for councils. But I never worked for a pack like you do,” Mr Taylor told the crowd.
“When we went to the commission on Monday, you, the workers of the Coast, have been accused of dragging the Gold Coast’s good name and its brand down. I’ll show you one of the front pages (from the Bulletin). Who’s given the Gold Coast a bad name? Tom Tate and Dale Dickson.”
Cr Tate has called the allegations to the CCC “fallacy and fantasy” and Mr Dickson has welcomed any investigation.
A worker from city cleaning who spoke at the rally said the number of workers protesting was increasing at meetings.
“Dale Dickson — the CEO who retained his job on the pretext of getting rid of our jobs,” he said.
About Cr Tate, he said: “Instead of stabbing us in the back, pat us on the back. Because we are the backbone of this community and we are this community.”
Earlier, Senator Murray Watt told the meeting the dispute on the Coast was similar to others with private employers around the country.
“Every month we get new statistics and figures come out that show wages in Australia are stagnating.
“And that would happen if the Gold Coast City Council gets its way with this enterprise bargaining deal. I know they’re not offering what it should be when it comes to the base rate of pay.”