Claim from dog control officers prompts lockout
< New claim from dog control officers prompts partial
lockout Christchurch City Council has issued a partial
lockout notice to its eight dog control officers who are
seeking a more than 50% increase in their daily standby rate
to attend calls on Banks Peninsula. This extra $50 a day
standby payment would be on top of their present $101 a day
or $707 a week. Under the claim this would increase to more
than $1000 a week and they also want an additional $150 for
any call out to Banks Peninsula. This is on top of their
normal salary, which is about $42,000. The Council's
General Manager Human Resources Philippa Jones says dog
control officers who are members of Southern Local
Government Officers Union have put a ban on attending call
outs on Banks Peninsula to support their claim. "This action
is unfair and selective. They are refusing to service a part
of our community even though they are being paid more than
$700 a week to do so. This demand is unreasonable and yet
another example of the real anomalies in the way some of our
people are paid," Ms Jones says Meanwhile the Christchurch
City Council has continued with preparations for a three
hour strike tomorrow after receiving no counter proposal
from the Southern Local Government Officers Union this week
to avert strike action. The Council gave the union a
commitment last Friday that it would consider any proposals
it made in the week ahead, but Ms Jones said none was
forthcoming.
Council has gone ahead with its contingency
plans to ensure that disruption to residents during the
strike from 11am to 2pm is minimised. Council has also
received notice of a second strike from 11am on Thursday 14
December to 11am on Friday 15 December. Planning is already
underway for this strike. As a result of tomorrow's strike
there will be some disruption to libraries and service
centres, but no essential services such as water supplies,
sewerage treatment or rubbish collection, including
EcoDepots, will be affected by either strike. The Council
call centre, all pools and recreation facilities, Council
parking buildings, Christchurch Art Gallery and the South,
Upper Riccarton and Parklands libraries are among the
services that will remain open. Ms Jones said the strike
is extremely disappointing. "The Council is trying to make
positive changes to its remuneration structure that will
help achieve the goal of Christchurch becoming a world-class
city," she said. The Council has made a $7.5 million offer
to union members over three years which includes salary
increases ranging from 6% to 21% depending on an employee's
grade, backdated to 1 July 2006. "Currently, some staff on
the lower grades are paid 12% more than the market rate
while those on the higher grades whose skills are in demand
are paid 20% below the local government market rate," Ms
Jones said. Under the Council's proposal, all current
employees would receive percentage increase in salary over
the three years. The Council's offer is within the Council
approved budget and would have no impact on the rates paid
by
residents. Ends