Union and council go head to head over no confidence motion

United Services Union (USU) members at the council voted on the no confidence motion in three management personnel, including CEO Alex Waldron, in late February.

USU general secretary, Graeme Kelly, said members wanted "urgent changes to the way the council operates."

He pointed to concerns that services were being reduced and work outsourced "at greater cost instead of being assigned to full-time council employees."

"This council is looking at cutting services to the community, which will impact on our members' job security," Mr Kelly said.

"The council is blaming lack of money for the cutbacks but has failed to reveal its real financial position."

In a letter CEO Alex Waldron, the union said members were "extremely concerned about what they understood to be the council's "dire financial position." They also "expressed their frustration at the lack of consultation and communication" and had a "firm view that information passed on by management wasn't transparent."

Mr Kelly and the union's southern manager, Gary Vann, wrote that the motion wasn't taken lightly and that the USU wanted a successful and viable council that provided services the community expected and offered "secure ongoing employment."

Mr Kelly said the USU would support any council that was "upfront with staff and the community and which operated efficiently."

"It's clear from our membership that they don't believe this is happening at Upper Lachlan Shire Council," he said.

"This vote of no confidence is designed to send a clear message to councillors and managers that things need to change."

"Workers at the Council are concerned about the waste of ratepayers' money which they see every day. They live in the community and pay rates themselves and say complaints to management about the waste have been ignored."

"Our members are saying enough is enough. There is a decreasing number of staff doing the work that rate payers want to see done, and an increasing number of contractors doing work that could be done more efficiently by council staff, without the need to pay high contractor fees."

A second motion called for consultation with the union before any decisions were taken on a managerial service review that was currently underway.

But in a statement, the council said it was "unfortunate" that the USU had seen fit to pass the no confidence motion in three staff members ahead of the service review's final report.

"Despite the no-confidence motion, the council will continue to work with the USU but it is unfortunate that the union cannot see the merit in service assessment to ensure financial sustainability and ultimately protect local jobs," Ms Waldron said.

She said no final decisions had been taken and the review would be presented to and decided by councillors in consultation with the community.

In November, 2023, the council abandoned a bid to increase rates by 63pc over two years, following community backlash.

As a result, Ms Waldron said the organisation embarked on a core service review. However she acknowledged community concerns raised during community consultation on the rate rise.

"The cost of living is hitting everyone in the community hard, and the Upper Lachlan Shire Council is not immune to increased costs for energy, insurances and supply costs," she said.

"... The review process is in early stages and will involve extensive consultation with all levels of staff and community before any decisions are made.

"The aim of the assessment is to identify areas for improved efficiency across each department and a comprehensive understanding of ULSC's operations and obligations."

Mayor Pam Kensit supported the approach.

"I have complete faith that we will get through these difficult times, but the message from the community was loud and clear - to cut the coat according to the cloth. This means that we need to improve internal efficiencies before increasing rates," she said.