Potholes will go unfilled, parks unmowed, and 'rhyme time' will be cancelled at libraries in Noosa for the next two days after the council took the extraordinary step of locking out its entire workforce for two days – just before Labour Day, a public holiday meant to celebrate workers' rights.
Over 100 workers at Noosa Council represented by the Australian Workers' Union and the Services Union will lose two precious day's pay during a cost of living crisis after the council informed them they would not be required to turn up to work on Thursday the 1st of May and Friday the 2nd.
Each worker, who earns roughly $60,000 a year, will lose two entire days of pay immediately before the Labour Day weekend - a holiday that is meant to celebrate the rights and achievements of workers in Queensland.
"A lock out is an extreme tactic used by an employer to intimidate their workforce into accepting a bad offer they do not want to accept," said Michael Anderson, an organiser from the Australian Workers' Union who represents these workers.
"It is about depriving workers who are already earning some of the lowest wages you could find at a Council in South East Queensland of two days of pay ahead of a long weekend."
"It's mean, it's nasty, and it's designed to punish workers who have found their voice and are asking for their fair share."
"The Australian Workers' Union will not accept such heavy handed tactics from this employer, or any other - all this has done is take this industrial dispute to a place that Noosa residents cannot afford."
"Noosa Council could end this dispute at any time and get services back online across our region by swallowing their pride and making their workforce a fair pay offer that keeps pace with the cost of living and the wages offered by neighbouring Councils."
"Our members live in this community, but with these wages they won't for much longer. The people who do the grunt work to keep Noosa thriving are drawing a line, they've being priced out, they're making real life decisions and soon they will just leave."
"Noosa Council has a vacancy rate of 20%, that's one in five positions, no-one can afford to live in this community on these wages."
"Our members will meet to discuss their employer locking them out of their livelihood today and from the phone calls I've already had I can tell you it ain't going to be pretty."
