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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Kathryn Lewis

Garbage truck drivers to consider strike over pay dispute

Garbage truck drivers will meet with union officials on Thursday to discuss whether they will take action. Picture: Karleen Minney

Garbage truck drivers across Canberra will consider walking off the job if pay disputes are not resolved.

Canberra's garbage collectors, represented by the Transport Workers Union, will meet with union officials early on Thursday morning to discuss whether it would be necessary to walk off the job if employer Suez didn't negotiate pay.

It is not yet known if a strike were to take place how it would affect garbage collection or which parts of the city would be impacted.

The TWU has confirmed workers' disputes related only to pay but it is not yet known what has been asked for.

Drivers walked off the job in 2016 over pay disputes as they fought for an increase to severance pay and a pay rise. About 40 per cent of the ACT did not have their waste collected as a result.

At the time temporary waste drop-off locations were set up for residents of almost 30 suburbs affected, catch-up collection services were also put in place.

Action was also threatened in 2014, prompting then Territory and Municipal Services Minister Shane Rattenbury to appoint an industrial relations expert to resolve the dispute in a bid to put a stop to the strikes.

It was later called off when workers were offered a new agreement by employer at the time, Sita Australia.

Any potential strike would come as a freshly-minted ACT government step into power making for an interesting start to the term.

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