Canberra’s lowest-paid General Service Officers (GSOs) will receive a more than $17,000 pay rise over three years, after they accepted a deal the ACT Government presented today following a long union campaign.

GSOs are the ACT equivalent of council workers: they clean (including public toilets), garden, and perform a variety of trades and technical roles. The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) had argued the ACT Government severely undervalued their work: many earned only $50,925 a year, which left them members of the working poor, unable to meet Canberra’s rising cost of living. Some were reduced to sleeping in their cars. The CFMEU believed GSOs should be paid at least $61,000 a year.

Last month, more than 500 GSOs marched on parliament in December – one of Canberra’s biggest blue-collar rallies in years – to protest the government’s latest wage offer. Members planned further industrial action this year.

• Unions hold protest outside ACT Legislative Assembly (1 December 2022)
• GSO leaders to decide on action against ACT Government (2 November 2022)
• CFMEU calls for higher wages for ACT’s lowest-paid workers (15 September 2022)

This morning, however, a meeting of GSOs at the Canberra Racetrack endorsed the ACT Government’s latest deal. The pay of the lowest band of GSOs will increase by more than 10 per cent each year over the three years of the agreement, while other bands will receive annual increases of between eight to 12 per cent.

“This deal is testament to the courage and determination of GSOs who knew they deserved a better a deal, and were prepared to fight for it through their union,” said ACT CFMEU secretary, Zach Smith.

“Without GSOs, Canberra would disintegrate into chaos. They do tough and often dirty jobs to make this city liveable for the rest of us. When over 500 of them downed tools and marched on Parliament in December, I think that made everyone sit up and take notice.

“When GSOs voted to take further industrial action, it was very brave and, I believe, pivotal in expediting the excellent outcome we have secured today. It’s a result that once again shows the best weapon against inequality is union membership.

“I also want to thank the ACT Government for being consultative and responsive. When we started this campaign, the government was very quick to acknowledge there was a problem, and we have appreciated the negotiations we have had with them. Under this Labor government, workers know they will always be dealing with an ethical employer trying to do the right thing. That’s a far better equation than workers often have in other states and territories.”

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said: “The commitment I made at the outset of these negotiations was to prioritise wage increases for the Government’s lowest paid employees.

“Lifting the wages of lower income ACT Government employees is one of the most practical measures the Government can take to address cost-of-living concerns for these workers and their families.”