More than 200 Water Corporation workers are poised to strike next week following nine months of negotiations over pay, attraction and retention issues.
The workers include engineers, IT experts, scientists and project managers – represented by Professionals Australia – who say they are sick of being undervalued.
Professionals Australia WA state director Tamarah Rowlands said her organisation’s members did not usually take strike action.
“We want Water Corp to come back to the table and have meaningful conversations about how these problems can be resolved,” she said.
“So we’re starting off small next week with two hours. Then the following week it will come up to 24 hours, and it will increase from then on.
“Our members do want to go back to the table. They do want to have meaningful conversations.”
Rowlands added that negotiations had dragged on for more than nine months.
“We requested many times to have meetings with [Don] Punch when he was water minister,” she said.
“Those letters were either ignored or we were told that they didn’t have time to meet with us.
“We could have had those conversations and put meaningful changes in place to ensure our members’ needs were met.”
The upcoming industrial action from Water Corporation workers follows a second proposed strike by the workers at BHP’s WA iron ore operations, with a 24-hour ban on loading ships on Saturday followed by a 24-hour work stoppage at Port Hedland Bulk Export Terminal on the next day.
The strike action has put newly minted WA minister Daniel Pastorelli under the pump, with his new portfolios of mines and water – which he officially took over on Monday – directly related to both proposed industry actions.
On Thursday, WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas labelled Pastorelli the “Minister for Strikes” and said water supply was too important to be compromised.
“Interesting situation for Dan Pastorelli. He calls himself Boy Wonder. I call him the Minister for Strikes,” Zempilas said.
“In terms of the critical and crucial supply of water, it is something that needs to be sorted out really before strike action takes place – that is far too important.
“Now, water supply should not be compromised because the state government haven’t sorted this out.
“As a state, we need the Pilbara firing on all cylinders. It’s too important to our nation’s economy, to Western Australia’s economy.”
However, Pastorelli said all West Australian workers had the right to collectively bargain for fair wages and conditions.
“Let’s be clear: Basil Zempilas does not put WA workers first, he only puts himself first,” he said.
“Basil Zempilas wouldn’t understand that, because his only experience in government was closing down a women’s shelter.”
Pastorelli said Water Corporation continued to negotiate in good faith and had put forward an offer that delivered meaningful improvements to pay and benefits, while remaining fair and sustainable.
“Professionals Australia is the union representing some office-based roles in the Water Corporation,” he said.
“Industrial action proposed in the coming days is limited to a small number of Water Corporation employees and there will be no impact to services.”
Water Corporation has been contacted for comment.
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