Members of the USU rally over a pay disagreement. Photo: United Services Union.
An ongoing dispute between Riverina Water and its workers is set to continue after the company refused union demands to set the same working hours for indoor and outdoor employees.
Riverina Water said in a statement it would not move forward with the harmonisation of work hours, citing “substantial costs to the community, and risks to productivity and service quality”. This decision came after workers walked off the job last week over what the United Services Union (USU) believes to be “unequal working conditions”.
The increased cost to the community “does not align with Riverina Water’s mission to provide safe and reliable water at the lowest sustainable cost”, according to the company.
The dispute arose after Riverina Water announced in April that prices for customers would increase in the 2025/26 financial year.
Outdoor staff are rostered to work 38 hours a week compared to the 35 hours required from indoor employees on the same pay grade.
This undermines the principle of equal pay for equal work, according to USU Acting General Secretary Daniel Papps.
Riverina Water’s headquarters in Wagga, tucked behind the Murrumbidgee River levy near Marshall’s Creek and Hammond Avenue. Photo: Riverina Water.
Under the NSW Local Government State Award, around 96 per cent of the councils in NSW operate under the same work hours.
Riverina Water has argued that the hours of work are in line with about 48,000 local government staff working across 132 councils in NSW. Outdoor staff have additional award conditions such as allowances, shift loadings and overtime opportunities – awards which are not applicable to indoor staff.
These conditions for outdoor staff include increased sick leave and long service leave, additional allowances including an on-call rate, superannuation benefits and many other benefits.
The current award was negotiated in 2022, with Riverina Water making a commitment then to investigate the harmonisation of work hours.
Workers walked out on 6 April but returned to work a day later in good faith and said they wanted opportunities for constructive dialogue but were left with no choice but to escalate their actions after being met with the board’s unwillingness to address the core issue.
Members of the USU will hold another meeting today (14 May) to decide whether they will return to work.
Mr Papps said the dispute was more than just about the money.
“It’s about respect and fairness,” he said.
“We’re calling on Riverina Water to step up and address this inequality.”
USU members have assured the public the action will not disrupt water supply or public safety.
Further industrial action can be expected if Riverina Water fails to offer a response that satisfies the union.
