By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
COUNCIL workers have refused to lift work bans to clean loose rubbish and overflowing bins in Springvale and Dandenong’s shopping strips today.
As part of a campaign for increased pay, council workers have been on protected work-bans for three weeks.
They have refused to empty street bins in the precincts or mow lawns unless there is a public health and safety risk.
ASU organiser James Weissmann, who inspected the shopping strips today, declared there were no occupational health and safety hazards.
‘‘There’s no fire hazards I’m aware of. There’s no great issue with food or fly infestation. 70 per cent of the waste is paper and drink containers.
‘‘There’s some rubbish blowing on the pavement but it’s minimal. It looks untidy but it’s by no means a major safety hazard.’’
He said the council ‘‘were the ones holding the public of Springvale to ransom’’.
‘‘They’re the ones refusing to negotiate. We’re willing to negotiate any day, any time.’’
Greater Dandenong Council chief executive John Bennie said the ‘‘current situation in our shopping centres is unacceptable and highly regrettable’’.
‘‘[The] council had an agreement with the [Australian Services Union] that should the situation become unsanitary or unsafe to the community, union members would address this outcome and clean the waste away.
‘‘Regrettably it appears this agreement will not be honoured by the ASU.’’
As previously reported, Dandenong and Springvale’s rubbish-strewn shopping strips had been compared to the ‘Third World’ as Greater Dandenong Council cleaners enter their third week of work bans.
During the industrial dispute with council management, workers had stopped mowing lawns, emptying bins and cleaning streets.
The consequences are starkest in Springvale Road. Shoppers on the main strip are evading rubbish piling next to overfilled street bins and spilling over the pavement.
During the work ban rules, the council is unable to use ‘‘strike-breakers’’ to remove the rubbish unless there’s a risk to public safety.
Greater Dandenong citizen of the year and Springvale resident Joe Rechichi says the litter had got to the stage of endangering public health and safety.
He and the Weekly observed shoppers stumbling over loose rubbish on sidewalks. Some stopping to pick plastic bags from beneath their shoes.
‘‘This is like the Third World,’’ Mr Rechichi said. ‘‘It’s disgusting’’.
‘‘We shouldn’t have to live in those conditions.’’
It’s believed putrid overflowing street bins behind fishmongers in Buckingham Avenue, Springvale were emptied this week.
Early in the dispute, the council were sprung by Australian Services Union members for using contract workers to empty bins in Dandenong and Springvale.
Stan Chang, spokesman for Springvale Traders Association, said the mess was becoming a health issue and an unwelcome obstacle.
‘‘The council is almost getting to the stage of resolving the dispute but it could be another 1-2 weeks.
‘‘We call on traders to call the council to get it fixed, like it’s an emergency situation.’’
Cindy Nguyen of Springvale Road boutique Kim’s Fashions said she didn’t believe there was yet a health and safety issue, though the results were ‘‘bad and smelly’’.
She said the street bins hadn’t been emptied as usual last Thursday, leading to rubbish being ‘‘blown everywhere’’.
‘‘We complained to the council on Monday but nobody came. It’s very bad but it’s not unsafe.’’
Meanwhile in Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, Albion Hotel manager Peter Appleby collected a 90-litre bin full of waste from outside his shopfront on Monday.
He and other traders have swept beer bottles and cigarette butts into the car park gutters in a forlorn attempt to tidy the streetscape.
Mr Appleby observed a crow picking rubbish out of an over-full street bin, ‘‘it’s all gone to the birds’’.
A heap of rubbish has built up next to the public space near the Langhorne and Lonsdale streets intersection.
A frustrated earby trader Robert Sarian blamed the council. ‘‘This is the shittest Dandenong council ever.’’
ASU organiser James Weissmann said the council did not agree to a counter-offer made by the union during collapsed talks last Wednesday.
He said workers would hold a stop-work protest in Dandenong at noon next Tuesday.
“We continue to stress that bans would be lifted if public safety was at risk, and we will continue to negotiate with management to achieve a better outcome for workers at the council.”
Mr Weissmann said the council had not moved in its pay offer of an annual 3.5 per cent rise for three years, including a parking fee subsidy.
Mr Weissmann said the union was seeking 12.5 per cent over three years and a more generous parking subsidy for workers moving to $65 million offices in central Dandenong.
Last week, Greater Dandenong chief executive John Bennie said the work bans were causing overflowing rubbish bins in shopping centres and streets.
“At the moment, the parks look in pretty good condition but shopping centres are suffering a bit,” he said last week.
