Shoalhaven Mayor Patricia White has returned serve at the United Services Union after its claim that as many as 110 Council staff members would be losing their jobs.

USU issued a statement last Friday claiming that Council would be sacking one in five of its staff under a plan the Mayor had “rammed through Council” three days earlier.

The union claimed Cr White had assured staff at a meeting in December their jobs were safe.

Cr White has responded by saying “I cannot believe that the Unions would put a media release OUT on a Friday afternoon stating that Shoalhaven Council was cutting jobs and alarming employees and their families”.

“This is old news, as in late 2024 following the elections they ran the same stories. Obviously, it is a slow news day.

“I can confirm that Council continues to work on the financial sustainability project that we have implemented since the 2024 elections.

"Council has a plan that has been shared with staff, residents and community in an open and transparent way and continues to work with Councillors, staff and the independent Finance Committee on implementation.”

Cr White said ratepayers should look behind the scenes at the agenda of some Councillors, calling out Jemma Tribe, who she said was last year’ claiming Council was reducing staff around the same numbers up to 500.

“This has not happened. In my opinion Cr Tribe has a vested interest in wanting to become mayor,” she said.

“Many people have commented to me that Cr Tribe, following her mayoral loss at the 2024 election, said ‘It was my god-given right to be the Mayor and I won’t stop’.

“She has attacked me on travel allowances, trying to stop myself and Councillors from representing ratepayers (as Council business) and much serious matters.

"I believe she will not stop with this agenda over the next three years.”

Last Tuesday night, Council discussed the Office of Local Government financial results of 128 councils in NSW based on parameters like population and land size.

Cr White said Shoalhaven Council had agreed to a target to be no more than 20% above the average of our peer group by June 2027.

Tribe and fellow Councillors Matthew Norris, Ben Krikstolaitis, Gillian Boyd and Natalee Johnston opposed the plan.

“We just must maintain our focus on justifying how ratepayers' money is being spent with every decision Council makes and we will achieve for our residents and communities,” Cr White added.

She issued an open invitation to USU industrial officer (Southern Branch) Stuart Geddes to discuss Council’s plans to reduce its workforce and he has accepted the offer to meet.

“I look forward to meeting with Mayor White to find out on behalf of our members how many of their jobs she plans to cut,” he said.

“The Mayor has been talking about percentages thus far, she says the council is 31% overstaffed and she wants to bring that down to 22%, but people aren’t percentages, they’re human beings and they deserve to know if they’re being shown the door.

“We need to know how many jobs the Mayor wishes to cut and from what departments, will they be the people who conduct rhyme time at the libraries, will they be the road workers who fix potholes in the district or will they be the people who mark the fields for Saturday sport?

“We’re still dealing with the fallout from the Mayor’s decision in February to privatise local child-care services, leaving local children and parents facing lesser services for higher costs and six council staff at Centrelink.”