To chants of ‘stand up, fight back’ and ‘stronger together’ members of The Services Union (TSU) working at Noosa Council joined union representatives to march to council chambers and around Tewantin village on Wednesday morning to deliver their demands for higher wages.
“Noosa Council workers deserve better. Since de-amalgamation with Sunshine Coast, Noosa Council employee wages have fallen behind those of their neighbouring council,” a union representative said.
“Since December 2024 we’ve seen way more than 19 per cent of staff walk away from this council and those positions aren’t being replaced. That means you, the remaining workers are being pushed harder, taking on heavier workloads, going above and beyond without proper compensation. Burnout is real.”
One former Noosa Council employee told Noosa Today he had resigned due to the pressure from increasing workloads and deadlines and some of his fellow workers had left for positions in Sunshine Coast and Gympie councils.
After negotiations since October failed in obtaining an acceptable result, the workers took strike action in pursuit of a fair Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA).
According to the TSU, which is representing about 100-150 council workers, the action comes as the council has failed to offer adequate pay increases that properly reflect the hard work and dedication of its members, who provide essential frontline services to their local community each and every day.
However council chief executive officer Larry Sengstock said council had made a “fair and reasonable” offer that tackles the cost-of-living pressures, recognises the efforts of staff and was financially responsible.
Mr Sengstock said negotiations with the unions had been productive to date and council remain committed to finalising a new enterprise agreement that strikes the right balance for our staff and the community.
“We’ve listened to feedback from our staff and tabled a generous package of conditions, including an offer of 13.5 per cent over three years,” Mr Sengstock said.
TSU lead organiser Tom Rivers said council workers were dealing with Noosa’s high costs of housing and rentals that had forced many to move outside the area in addition to increasing costs of living expenses and were asking for pay increases that not only kept up with the cost of living but also aligned with what other councils were offering.
“Every day, employees at Noosa Council go above and beyond to provide vital services to their local community,” Mr Rivers said.
“They deserve to be compensated fairly for their frontline work, especially given the rising cost of living because council’s current offer of 6.5 per cent, 3.5 per cent, and 3.5 per cent simply doesn’t cut it.“
Mr Rivers said TSU was asking for increases of 9.5 per cent from February 2025, 4.5 per cent or CPI (which ever is greater) from February 2026 and 4.5 per cent or CPI (which ever was greater) from February 2027.
“Our members are committed to the local community, but they also need to be paid in a way that acknowledges their high levels of productivity and their significant contribution,” Mr Rivers said.
Mr Sengstock said ultimately, council had an obligation to their staff and a responsibility to deliver services and functions to their ratepayers and to spend money wisely.
“We value our staff and the role they play in delivering services to our shire, so it’s disappointing the unions are seeking wage increases that simply are not financially sustainable for the organisation or our ratepayers,“ he said.
“We have made a generous offer that is above inflation, as indicated by the consumer price index, but is in direct response to local cost of living pressures to ensure attraction and retention of staff.“
A council spokesperson said council’s offer and pay rate was consistent with many other councils across south-east Queensland of similar size.
Mr Rivers said workers were leaving Noosa to go to other councils.
“They tell us stories of people who stay two to three weeks then get a better offer and leave,“ he said.
“One of the issues is they have vacancies – they don’t fill them.“
Mr Sengstock said skill shortages were being experienced across many sectors on the Sunshine Coast and nation-wide.
“We face a competitive market, and our attraction and retention strategies rely on being an employer of choice,” he said.
A council spokesperson said council’s vacancy rates fluctuate as part of business operations, however in the 2023/24 Annual Report, or the reporting period, council’s retention rate for permanent and temporary staff was 14.7 per cent.
“Unfortunately strike action is always a last resort but if council management is serious about retaining skilled workers and attracting the best talent moving forward, they need to offer a fair and competitive wage,” Mr Rivers said.
“Without this, the council will continue to face workplace attrition, and the quality of services and service delivery to Noosa’s ratepayers will inevitably suffer.”
Mr Sengstock said as part of the next stage, council had made submissions to the Industrial Relations Commission and fully respected the designated process of this independent tribunal to deliver a fair and reasonable outcome for our people.
“Council does not expect any major disruptions to community and will be looking to minimise any issues as they arise,” he said.
