Complaints lead to City drug tests

Complaints about erratic driving and behaviour led City of Bunbury CEO Andrew Brien to order employees take urine drug tests.

The South Western Times last Thursday revealed 12 city employees had been suspended from work after failing the drug test.

The city was last week continuing to drug test about 200 employees at a cost of $10,400.

Mr Brien said the employees who failed the drug test had been asked to take annual leave and given help to get back on track.

He said the complaints about erratic driving in a council car and other erratic behaviour had been made by both council staff and the public at different times.

“Every staff member, including management and the executive team, is aware of the fitness for work guideline,” he said.

“This includes being under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at the workplace.”

He said the city did not have a “zero tolerance approach to drugs” and complied with the Australian standards of testing.

Australian Services Union WA branch secretary Wayne Wood said workplace drug testing was an issue which should be discussed in Parliament.

“Our view is it should be discussed on a parliamentary level and not be at the CEO’s and manager’s discretion,” he said.

Mr Wood said the tests were flawed because they did not measure if the employee was impaired.

“Everyone wants a safer workplace but the issue is really if the employee is impaired or not,” he said.

A suspended employee, who asked not to be named, said what he chose to do in his own time was not his employer’s business.

“If you are dangerous at work you shouldn’t be there but if you’re not a danger and you’re doing your job then what you do on the weekend is up to you,” he said.

Other local governments to drug test employees include the City of Cockburn and Mindarie Regional Council.

The City of Perth said it assessed alcohol and drug issues with its workforce on a case-by-case basis.