Bins will not be emptied, toilets will not be cleaned, and access may be affected at public parks and reserves across the state with Parks Victoria (PV) staff taking strike action for 24 hours on Thursday 11 June.

The Community and Public Sector Union said staff were taking this protected industrial action as a direct result of management’s failure to pay staff properly. It is unfortunate that the public have to bear the brunt of management’s ongoing refusal to put forward a fair pay deal in line with the rest of the public service.

PV’s refusal to reach a fair deal will impact the day-to-day business at parks including:

PV staff are some of the hardest-working, but lowest paid of our state’s public servants. This extraordinary step is due to management’s failure to produce a decent pay offer after more than a year of negotiations.

Union members on strike will hold a rally outside PV headquarters on Thursday 11 June at 12pm.

Victorians deserve safe, accessible, and well-maintained public reserves, supported by properly paid staff. Our regional tourism sector relies on this important work.

Just like PV management, our members are asking for pay parity with their Victorian Public Service colleagues, to bring their pay into the modern era and reflect the value of the work they do.

Poor pay and low resourcing drive our best staff to leave, while creating cost-of-living stress, reducing the quality of public facilities, and making it harder to deliver wildlife and conservation projects.

PV staff also provide essential firefighting and emergency response surge capacity during fire seasons, helping to keep all Victorians safe. 

We encourage all Victorians to support PV staff in their fight for better wages and conditions by signing our online petition.

“When PV management chooses to not properly fund parks, it’s the public that suffers.”

“It’s unfortunate that management’s decision to not pay people properly will impact Parks day-to-day operations for Victorians.”

“Management have had over a year at the bargaining table to make a satisfactory offer for PV workers but they’ve chosen not to.”

“We want the public to understand that the decision to take this protected industrial action was not made lightly, and we urge them to join us in sending a message to management via our petition.”