By PAUL MILLAR
FILTHY toilets and overflowing bins could greet thousands of tourists in the region’s state forests and national parks this long weekend as union bans start to bite.
Australian Workers Union said it would also enforce bans on planned burns following State Government “lethargy” over an enterprise agreement.
A union leader said the government was refusing to recognise the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s forest firefighting force as emergency service workers.
“We have warned them of this for months,” said union state secretary Ben Davis.
Parks, especially the Otways and the You Yangs, will draw thousands of visitors as warm weather coincides with the new grand final public holiday.
Mr Davis said the union had been left with little option other than industrial action to advance its claims.
“It’s not ideal and the public will be inconvenienced but I believe they’ll understand.
“We have not had proper talks with the government since the end of last summer,” he said, admitting that talks with government officials this week had failed to advance the union’s demands.
“This government appears too lethargic to respond to issues that are taken very seriously by our members and the people of regional Victoria in particular.”
The union said it had given the department notice informing of a ban on planned burns on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The bans would extend to an indefinite stop on falling trees for firewood as well as cleaning toilets and collecting rubbish in picnic areas.
