![No parking fines as City of Ballarat staff fight for better wage and conditions. Picture by Adam Trafford No parking fines as City of Ballarat staff fight for better wage and conditions. Picture by Adam Trafford](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/116320384/9533cf6e-ed00-4fcc-aa8f-7a2cf1f3d5ca.jpg/r0_307_6006_3697_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ballarat council parking officers are holding back on passing out fines after taking industrial action to get better wages.
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Messages on council buildings are targeting council management, claiming "our CEO lives like a (Evan) King, while we live like peasants."
Union-aligned City of Ballarat council staff voted to take industrial action on May 2, and drivers may have noticed even though they have sat in a park for too long, they've only received a warning and not a $75 fine.
The Australian Services Union confirmed workers are taking industrial actions, including not issuing infringement notices for parking.
Messages have also popped up on buildings like the Art Gallery of Ballarat's windows, and more can be seen on council car and building windows.
Some of the messages read "management don't care if I stay or leave", "I want to feel valued", "your rates continue to rise, our wages continue to fall" - one message noted the Bridge Mall "blow-out".
![Temporary messages put up by union members asking to be 'valued' by City of Ballarat mangement. Picture by Adam Trafford Temporary messages put up by union members asking to be 'valued' by City of Ballarat mangement. Picture by Adam Trafford](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/116320384/d0d5bd2c-3585-4d99-97f2-783dc417132e.jpg/r0_311_6076_3741_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The ASU spokesperson said these actions will "ramp up" as Ballarat heads towards the Heritage Festival, one of the biggest events of the year for the council.
Rest assured, kerbside bins will be collected but workers will stop some street cleaning work, including street sweeping, footpath, loose litter and street litter collection in particularly high traffic area.
ASU deputy secretary Tash Wark said union members supported taking industrial action after voting against the employment bargaining agreement offered by council's management.
She said the offer could "cement their wages as the lowest paid at a major regional council".
"Members of the ASU are frustrated with council's wage offer and determined to get a fairer deal," she said.
"The unanimous support for industrial action and the speed with which they are implementing work bans shows workers level of frustration with council's wage offer.
Ms Wark said the council had "ongoing savings from underspending on council staff".
"At the next council meeting councillors should allocate this money toward a decent wage increase. We call on councillors to recognise the value of front-line workers.
City of Ballarat council have stated the "savings" from job vacancies were a one-off.
On the current industrial actions, a City of Ballarat spokesperson said the council acknowledged the right of its employees who are ASU members to take Protected Industrial Action.
"Management will continue to negotiate in good faith and looks forward to a timely resolution," the spokesperson said.
"Both parties have scheduled a meeting to continue discussions next week."
The council staff's EBA ran out in September 2023, and negotiations continue.
One agreement was put to staff and voted down.
The ASU claimed the first offer in March would have left some Ballarat council staff the lowest paid in Victoria, and the second offer in May, put to union representatives, offered a 3.5 per cent wage increase.
The council employs over 1100 people across 80 different services. Other services impacted are spark and gardens with a restrictions on mowing across the council and loose litter collection in key areas.
Flyers are being placed in library books and being handed out to the public.
Negotiations on the enterprise agreement are continuing, and there's another bargaining meeting scheduled for next week.
Correction: A previous version of this story stated two agreements were put to council staff - only one agreement was put to staff, while a second was put to ASU representatives, which did not involve all council staff.