Noosa Council management has announced a lockout of union members participating in industrial action.
Council CEO Larry Sengstock has ordered staff involved in protected strike action from today to stay away from work until Monday.
The lockout comes after unions rejected Council’s revised pay offer of a 14 percent increase over three years. Around one-fifth of Council staff are expected to be affected by the measure.
Workers locked out will be barred from Council premises and required to return Council vehicles. Normal operations are set to resume next Tuesday.
Michael Anderson from the Australian Workers’ Union told Noosa Today that the lockout is an “extreme tactic” designed to intimidate workers into accepting an offer they don’t want.
He described it as “mean” and “nasty,” and said they “will not accept such heavy handed tactics,” warning that it has escalated the industrial dispute to a concerning level for Noosa residents.
The dispute heads to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission next Wednesday for conciliation talks.
