Council Workers Across Victoria Walked Off The Job Amid Pay Dispute
- Hudson Farr and Ella Hose
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
More than 1,000 local council workers staged a 24-hour strike last week, escalating an ongoing dispute over wages and working conditions.
The industrial action, coordinated by the Australian Services Union (ASU), saw workers from eight jurisdictions march from Victorian Trades Hall to Parliament House.
The strike followed earlier disruptions in April, when workers in Hume, Darebin, and Merri-bek left more than 20,000 household bins uncollected.
Tuesday’s coordinated walkout significantly broadened the action, highlighting growing frustration among council employees.
ASU Vic/Tas Branch Secretary Tash Wark said the strike reflected a collective effort by workers to force councils back to the negotiating table.
“We have eight councils— workers from eight councils, who are all bargaining together,” Wark said.
“The councils are not coming to the table, so they’ve given interim pay rises that don’t go anywhere near covering cost-of-living pressures.”
Workers called for wage increases aligned with inflation, improved conditions, and back-pay to compensate for what they described as “years of lost earnings”.
While inflation and expenses such as rent have risen approximately 8.8% since 2021 some council workers reported annual pay increases as low as 1.5%, according to the Australian Services Union.
The strike coincided with the announcement of Victoria’s upcoming state budget, adding further pressure on policymakers.
The State Government has continued to defend the Rate Cap Policy, introduced in 2016, with its 2026-27 cap set at 2.75%, a decrease from the previous financial year's 3%.
Workers argued these incremental raises fell far short of keeping pace with the cost-of-living crisis affecting households across Australia.
The 24 hour walk out was expected to disrupt essential services and inconvenience residents.
The ASU said this was a deliberate strategy to underscore the vital role local council workers play in keeping communities running.
Wark praised the scale of the turnout and the support shown by other unions and workers on Tuesday.
“It’s been a really good showing… not just from those eight councils but also other workers in solidarity,” she said.
Essential Services Commission Chairperson and Commissioner Gerard Brody said the rate cap was a relief to homeowners grappling with other cost-of-living pressures, and would help to keep rate increases lower than they had been in the past.
“It’s encouraging to see councils delivering important services while keeping within the rate cap and maintaining their financial health.”
