Update from Mark Buttigieg MLC
I want to share a recent and very important win by the NSW Labor Government on behalf of working people.
In the last parliamentary sitting period, the Liberals and Nationals tried to vote down a critical Labor Government regulation that ensures that the wages and conditions of Council waste collection workers are maintained when the Council changes contracts.
This change followed many instances where waste collection workers would go to work one day with a decent standard of pay and conditions, only to come back the next day under a new contractor with cuts to pay and conditions despite doing the exact same job!
Waste collection workers do absolutely essential work for the functioning of our society, and their pay and conditions should be protected.
In the Upper House we were able to garner the support of the Shooters and Fishers, Greens, Animal Justice and Jeremy Buckingham and so the Liberals and Nationals lost which means the important regulation will remain in force. This is thanks to the collective advocacy of the waste workers involved and their union the Transport Workers' Union (TWU) and the actioning of that advocacy by the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP. The United Services Union and their Secretary Graeme Kelly also strongly supported the campaign.
It was great to have Richard Olsen, the TWU NSW State Secretary, and Ho Lau, a TWU Official, as well as the following delegates attend Parliament on the day:
• Ian Hankison (whose story I also shared in my speech)
• Greg Orford
• Mitchell Raimon
• Simon Lofty
To learn more, please read my speech here or check out the video below:
