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04 August 2009

Mackay Regional Councillors would save ratepayers about $50,000 each year if they brought the exorbitant pay increases they awarded themselves into line the modest wage improvement for Council staff, the Australian Workers’ Union said.

AWU organiser Darryl Rankin said Council employees were stunned by the hypocrisy of Councillor Deidre Comerford, querying the value of pay rates for hard-working Council staff when she pocketed the maximum increase for herself.

“Councillor Comerford claims the Council is not getting value for money from the new agreement with Council staff.  The fact is Deirdre was entitled to a salary between $75,940 to $88,950.  She chose to take the highest possible pay packet,” he said.

“Ratepayers and Council staff are entitled to ask are they getting value for money from ‘Dear Deirdre’.”

Mayor Col Meng does not receive the maximum pay available for a Category 6 council.

Mr Rankin said ratepayers had every right to question if they were getting value for money out of Cr Comerford, given that Cr Comerford admitted not being across the details of the Mackay Regional Council Enterprise Bargaining Agreement councillors voted on.

“Council staff are the ones delivering services to ratepayers. They fix pot holes.  They manage our water and sewerage and other key services,” he said.

"Residents know just how committed Council workers are.  Long after the floodwaters receded Council workers were out there cleaning up and restoring our community to what it was before the flooding rains started falling.”
 
“If Deidre is worried about the budget’s bottom line, I would call her to move her snout further away from the trough and accept only a 5% increase granted to Council staff.  This would save ratepayers and put an end to her hypocrisy.”

“The AWU and other Unions negotiated an EBA with Council in good faith,  now that the agreement is sign and sealed, Cr Comerford now want to shift the goal posts, it is just not on.”