By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
GREATER Dandenong Council unsuccessfully tried to use strike breakers to clean Springvale’s garbage-mired main street last night during an increasingly bitter industrial dispute with the council’s workers and their union.
Residents complained of a ‘‘Third World’’ streetscape as overflowing street bins baked in 29-degree heat in Springvale and Dandenong due to work bans by the Australian Services Union workers.
During the pay dispute, workers have refused to mow lawns and empty street bins – unless there was a public health or safety risk.
The council had agreed, under those circumstances, not to employ contractors to do the work.
ASU organiser James Weissmann denied there was an occupational health and safety risk after an inspection of the Springvale Road strip yesterday.
‘‘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.’’
On the same night, the council hired a private contractor to clean the streets.
Union officials turned away the contractor and accused the council of acting in bad faith.
“Council CEO John Bennie has sunk to a new low,’’ ASU assistant secretary Richard Duffy said.
‘‘Instead of paying his employees properly, he resorts to wasting massive amounts of money on private contractors.’’
Mr Bennie said the state of the shopping centres was ‘‘unacceptable and highly regrettable’’.
He accused the ASU of not honouring its agreement to ensure streets were hygienic and safe.
‘‘Any reasonable person would regard the shopping centre in Springvale as unsanitary and council remains very concerned about waste entering drains or acting as a slip or trip hazard to the community.
‘‘[The] Council has acted with integrity in that it requested the ASU to honour its commitment and when it became apparent that they would not, advised the union of [the] council’s intention to consider alternate actions.” 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 early last week.
Stan Chang, spokesman for Springvale Traders Association, advised traders to ‘‘call the council to get it fixed, like it’s an emergency situation.’’
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 Weissmann said workers would hold a stop-work protest in Dandenong at noon on Tuesday.
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