Australia faces largest council worker strike, plan walkout on May 5

More than 1,000 council workers across Australia are set to walk off the job on 5 May in what the Australian Services Union describes as the largest local government strike in the country’s history.

The planned 24-hour stoppage will affect eight councils, including Hume City Council, Maribyrnong City Council and Hobsons Bay City Council, with widespread disruption expected across essential services such as waste collection, street cleaning, mowing, libraries and aged care.

The industrial action follows weeks of intermittent disruptions throughout April. In Hume, bin collections were halted during a 24-hour strike on 7 April, with ongoing delays reported in several areas. While services briefly returned to normal from 23 April, union members are preparing for a larger, coordinated strike next week.

Workers will also gather at State Parliament on the same day as the Victorian Budget, marking a significant escalation in the dispute over pay and conditions.

“Undertaking a city-wide strike is a last resort. Our members take immense pride in serving their communities, but after 18 months of being ignored, they have been left with no other choice,” said Tash Wark, Branch Secretary, ASU. “It is a total failure of leadership that councils continue to turn up to negotiations unprepared to offer wage increases during this cost-of-living crisis.”

The union is seeking a 10 percent initial pay rise, followed by annual increases, as part of a broader claim of 22 percent over four years. The dispute is being negotiated under a multi-employer bargaining process involving eight Melbourne councils. Local councils say negotiations are ongoing and stress that efforts are being made to limit disruption to residents.

“This withdrawal of industrial actions will be a welcome reprieve, particularly for our communities most affected by the ASU’s industrial action, particularly in Darebin, Merri-bek and Hume,” councils said in a joint statement. “There have been many missed bin collections across these three council areas and now there will be an opportunity to catch up on these collections. "Councils respect the ASU’s right to take protected industrial action, and we’re working to minimise disruption to our community where possible.”

The temporary pause on some service bans, including household rubbish collection in parts of Merri-bek, is intended to allow the union to focus on the upcoming strike and rally.

The disruption has already drawn strong reactions from residents, particularly in northern suburbs where uncollected waste has led to overflowing bins, foul odours and hygiene concerns.

Despite tensions, both sides indicate a willingness to continue discussions, though the planned strike signals that a resolution may still be some distance away.