1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,760 Speaker 1: But what we do know that today the City of 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: Darwin depot workers have now joined correctional officers as well 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: as firefighters and Danilla Dilbert workers in protected industrial action, 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: with a group kicking off industrial action today. So I'm 5 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: joined on the line right now by the United Workers 6 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: Union NT lead organizer Bronnie Shannon Channon. 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Bronnie, Good morning Katie. How are 8 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 2: you sare really well? 9 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time. What kind of well, 10 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: what's happening today? 11 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 3: Firstly, okay, so our members at the City of Darwin 12 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 3: who work in the depot are taking some protected action. 13 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 4: The protected action is basically a solidarity action in terms 14 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 4: of they'll be wearing union hats the first That is 15 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 4: just the start. I think the biggest problem was is 16 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 4: that last week there was an issue with the behavior 17 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 4: of the City of Dohen. The bosses there had threatened 18 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 4: to actually lock our members out for wearing union hats. 19 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 2: Right, is that normal for them to threaten doing something 20 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: like that. 21 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 4: Well, we would see that as a complete overreaction, and 22 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 4: it was actually an inability of them to be able 23 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 4: to read a notice that we provided that said that's 24 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 4: what they were going to do that. They were going 25 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 4: to be wearing a hat with a union logo, on 26 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 4: a high brids vest with a logo on a Union 27 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 4: logo on it, and maybe putting a magnet on a 28 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 4: car that had a union logo on it, and they 29 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 4: reacted in this way. They've since retracted part of that, 30 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 4: but of course this just inflamed the issues because this 31 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 4: is all about the fact that they continue to try 32 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 4: and cut our members pay and conditions. And we've been 33 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 4: negotiating with the City of Darwin for eighteen months now. 34 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: So Bronnie, I guess to a lot of people listening 35 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: this morning, they're going to be thinking, oh, well, does 36 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: it really matter, you know, if somebody is wearing a 37 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: union hat or not. Is that going to make a 38 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: difference when it comes to their paying conditions changing in 39 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: any way? So obviously that's the first step in that 40 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: industrial election. 41 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: Is there going to be further action taken? 42 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 4: Well, I think that depends entirely on the behavior and 43 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 4: the offers that the City of Darwin decide to put 44 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 4: on the table. I mean, currently they're not listening to 45 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 4: our members, and you know, they can't afford people can't 46 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 4: afford to take a pay cut they can't afford to 47 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 4: have their conditions constantly being under. 48 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 2: Its at. 49 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 4: We all know that there's a rising cost of living 50 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 4: for everybody. Our members just want to be able to 51 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 4: pay their bill. 52 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: And so what exactly is the council proposing here, Bronnie? 53 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: Are they are they proposing that their wages get cut 54 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: or are they proposing similar to what the government had 55 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: with some government workers where it's frozen. 56 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 4: The problem is is that they're there. They've already they 57 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:26,119 Speaker 4: already took a pay freeze. So in twenty twenty, they 58 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 4: were we were meant to start negotiations and the City 59 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 4: of Darwin decided that they just weren't going to do it. 60 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 4: They were going to freeze it for a year. This 61 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 4: our members and the workers that City of Darwin had 62 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 4: no say in this. And so they feel like they've 63 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 4: had a pay freeze already without any negotiation before that, 64 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 4: and so they haven't seen a pay increase since September 65 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 4: twenty nineteen. 66 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: And so, Bronnie, what do those depot workers want out 67 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: of today? 68 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 4: They would like to just get some support. They want 69 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 4: to have their employer actually listen to their claims and 70 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 4: take their claims seriously. Because up until now, this is 71 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 4: not what's been happening. I think it would be great 72 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 4: if the people out there in Darwin who enjoyed the 73 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 4: services of our members out in the gardens providing all 74 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 4: the services and cleaning up and rubbish picking up, rubbish 75 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 4: cleaning the toilets and all of those things that people 76 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 4: expect if they see someone, if they see one of 77 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 4: our members out there wearing their union hats, they say 78 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 4: hi and give some support. 79 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: It's a bloody hard job, I would suspect, you know. 80 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,719 Speaker 1: I often think to myself when I'm out early on 81 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: a Sunday morning, going for a run around d S 82 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: Point and. 83 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 2: You see the council workers. 84 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: They're cleaning up, doing a lot of work really in 85 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: the very early hours of the morning. 86 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 2: It would be it'd be a tough job, I would imagine. 87 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 4: Extremely tough. I mean, you think about the climate that 88 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 4: we have here and these are all outdoor workers working 89 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 4: in what are now particularly extreme conditions. 90 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: Bronnie, Are they the only ones that are taking protected 91 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: industrial action or can we expect some further industrial action 92 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: around the place. I know I've driven past the fire 93 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: station there in Stuart Park and there's lots of posters 94 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: up there is that part of some of the protected 95 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: industrial action that's happening. 96 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 4: Yes, I can confirm that the City of Darwin depot 97 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 4: workers have now joined the correctional officers, the firefighters and 98 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 4: the workers at Tanella Dulba in their protected protected industrial action. 99 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: All right, So it's going to be an interesting time, Bronnie. 100 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: I know that you know that some may be hoping 101 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: now that we've had a leadership change with the Chief Minister, 102 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: that there might be some change to the concerns that 103 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: are being raised by, you know, by some of these 104 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: various departments or people working in the. 105 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 4: I don't I don't know whether I should be speculating 106 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 4: on that. 107 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,359 Speaker 2: All right, we won't get you in trouble, Bronnie. We 108 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 2: really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much 109 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 2: for having a chat with us. 110 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 4: Thank you so much, Katie. 111 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 2: We appreciate it.