By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
A COUNCIL worker dispute that had thrown local cricket into chaos and marred main streets with uncollected rubbish in Greater Dandenong has reached a peace.
Today, Australian Services Union members voted to suspend work bans on preparing cricket turf pitches and emptying main street bins, ahead of an all-staff vote on a revised pay offer from the council.
The rubbish collection bans which had led to increasingly unsightly piles of trash in central Springvale and Dandenong had lasted more than four weeks. Today, those streets were noticeably cleaner.
Workers had earlier rebuffed pay rises of 3.5 per cent a year. They had called for 4 per cent pay rises and free parking near the council’s under-construction offices in central Dandenong.
Under an agreement between the union and the council, lower paid employees will get improved pay packages.
ASU organiser James Weissmann, who had advocated members to ‘vote No’ on the original pay offer, said there had been “some movement from the council’’.
“We were duty-bound to present that to our members for a vote,’’ he said.
Greater Dandenong chief executive John Bennie said most of the rubbish had been removed from shopping centres and services would return to normal. The council and the union had reached an agreement yesterday.
He said the union would recommend members accept the improved pay offer for the lowest-paid employees.
“While the proposed EBA will mean an increase to our salary budget, the increase will have no impact on rates,’’ Mr Bennie said.
“I would like to thank the community for its patience. Council is fully committed with all our staff working together to returning this great city to one of which we are most proud.”
Dandenong District Cricket Association had already switched a dozen games from Greater Dandenong to Casey venues for this weekend’s round.
Secretary Ray Nicholls said the ‘‘unprecedented’’ bans had been an ‘‘unmitigated disaster’’, consuming much time and resources this week.
Today, as he awaited confirmation that the work bans were lifted, he hoped to revive three weekend matches that could not be moved.
Some of those matches are still in doubt due to preceding rains.
“We’re anxious to get those games on depending on if we’re able to get those grounds prepared,’’ Mr Nicholls said.
‘‘These grounds have been maintained. It’s a matter of whether we can get the rollers and mowers on.’’
Michael Findlay, president of Dandenong Panthers Premier Cricket Club, said the lifting of the work bans had come too late to reschedule fixtures moved for this weekend.
The club had found alternative venues in Essendon and St Kilda after the work bans threatened preparations at its home grounds.
There were early fears that the club may have been forced to forfeit its early home games, with indications that the bans could last several more weeks.
“It would have been complicated if the work bans were on [next week] because we have Saturday and Sunday games,’’ Mr Findlay said.
Negotiations had collapsed for several weeks until ASU members staged a fired-up protest outside the council’s Dandenong offices and extended bans to cricket turf pitch preparations on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the council announced it was getting advice from Fair Work Australia on lifting the work bans. Negotiations re-opened with the union, and a revised pay offer was made yesterday.
