United Services Union and Upper Lachlan Council clash over picnic day

The United Services Union (USU) claimed this week that the council had "gifted" a union picnic day to managers who were not USU members and therefore not entitled to the leave.

"The USU is questioning the appropriateness of giving away ratepayers' money to staff who should be at work running the Shire's operations," USU organiser Rudi Oppitz said.

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He said the holiday was an industrial award provision. The union estimated its extension to managers would cost $25,000.

"Upper Lachlan, like all councils, has a serious backlog of uncompleted road works which these funds should be applied to," Mr Oppitz said.

"There is community concern about local roads, the condition of Crookwell swimming pool and the state of local townships and we don't believe that it is fair for ratepayers to be slugged for an extra holiday for managers."

Mr Oppitz said the union remained in dispute with the council over pay rates for a "large number of staff."

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But the council's general manager Colleen Worthy said the award allowed all the workforce to take a day off but this wasn't exactly what was happening.

"All senior staff are either working on the picnic day, are on call or taking time in lieu," she said.

"The award allows us to treat all staff the same and to offer it to other people and that's what I'm doing...Everyone has worked extremely hard this year (with emergency responses), so why wouldn't I?"

Mrs Worthy said she struggled with the concept that just because a worker was a union member, they were entitled to a day off. The union had also "failed to say that it cost twice as much" to grant the leave to its members.

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Mr Oppitz said a wages case had been before the Industrial Relations Commission for three years and council costs had exceeded "tens of thousands of dollars."

"The council has refused offers by the USU to resolve the dispute and now wants to reward non-union members with a holiday they are not entitled to," he said.

"We are astounded that Upper Lachlan Shire proposes to use ratepayers' funds in this manner...The community should be outraged at the waste of ratepayers' money which should be spent on services, roads and parks throughout the Shire."

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