By Vannessa Hearman
MELBOURNE — Library workers in the Hume-Moonee Valley library service, covering an area from near-city Flemington to the dormitory suburb of Melton, shut down and picketed all library branches there on March 15 in support of their position in enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations.
The Hume-Mooney Valley Library Board won't agree to another EBA unless the library workers cut their award conditions, in particular their weekend penalty rates.
When they met again on March 18, workers decided to stop work every weekend until the dispute is resolved.
The library workers' award already allows work up to 9pm every day of the week on ordinary rates. In an interview with community radio 3CR, Mark Karlovic, industrial officer with the Australian Services Union (ASU), emphasised, "The employees are saying no, they are not prepared to cut these conditions and they're prepared to take a stand on it".
Karlovic stated that the union was "for job creation and for improved services for libraries". The library board is using the argument that because of funding cuts, the only way services will be improved is by cutting back on workers' conditions.
Karlovic argued, " If it's a revenue problem for the library board, I don't think it's fair to ask existing or new employees to pay for it. It's up to the board to find that revenue elsewhere."
Revenue problems are partly the fault of a Kennett "reform" which forced compulsory competitive tendering of all local government services.
Karlovic said: "We have to draw the line somewhere. If we agree to cut conditions, where will it end? Over the past five years, the service has been amalgamated, it's grown bigger, and there have been a lot of efficiencies found by the employer over that period." The ASU had maintained award conditions and overtime rates in other EBA negotiations in Victoria.
The workers will inform the public who come to use the libraries, particularly on weekends, about why they are imposing work bans. A petition is being circulated which asks library users to support the library staff.