Not fair: ASU staff Cameron Wright, Casey Hill, delegate Glenda Conlan and officer Adam Rodwell said the South Gippsland Shire Council EBA is unfair for lower paid workers.

AROUND 60 South Gippsland Shire employees protested against what they believed was an unfair Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) on Tuesday.

Due to a last minute change of plans by the council hierarchy, protests were restricted legally to a single session at 7.30am.

The group of Australian Services Union (ASU) members originally planned to protest at 3pm outside the council chambers where a meeting over the EBA was being held.

“It’s a classic divide and conquer method,” Cameron Wright from the ASU said.

“If he (council CEO Tim Tamlin) can separate the blue collar from the white collar, it means the office guys don’t get to see how concerned the depot crew are with the EBA.”

The group also attended a meeting with Mr Tamlin and council executives regarding the EBA.

At this meeting, some of Mr Tamlin’s comments angered the union members.

“Some ASU members are fuming at comments made by the CEO that other industries in the area have laid people off due to financial constraints, and they did not appreciate the inference that South Gippsland Shire may consider the same,” Mr Wright said.

“If the agreement was voted down, the CEO has also threatened to go back to a lower pay rate in his current offer.”

As the EBA negotiations stall the ASU have applied for more industrial action against South Gippsland Shire Council.

Mr Tamlin has been approached by The Star but has not yet supplied a comment.