The Australian Services Union warned last week there would be a "serious escalation" in the pay dispute over what they say is a fair pay rise for the lowest paid workers at the council.

Employees are in a stalemate with management over the pay increase with the union seeking a six per cent rise over three years, or $30 a week - whichever is greater.

The council is offering just the six per cent, and said if it agreed to the $30 demand it would cost the council an extra $300,000 over the three years above what it was already offering.

A family of four relying on the lowest wage at Warrnambool City Council was only just only just above the poverty line, the union said, and a minimum $30 a week pay rise was only fair.

An Australian Services Union spokesman said that while the more than 40 approved bans would come into force on Friday they wouldn't all be implemented immediately.

Staff on Wednesday decided to impose three new work bans from Friday, but "at this stage bans in relation to car parking and fines are not being implemented".

The council said in a statement that local laws officers were still actively managing parking.

The thee new work bans include: not locking council vehicles at the end of a shift and leaving keys in the vehicle, an indefinite or periodic ban on refuelling vehicles and an indefinite or periodic ban on responding to emails received after noon each day.

Last week the union said ASU members "had resolved to implement all bans they overwhelmingly supported in a ballot".

Litter overflowing as council work bans hit

Bins are overflowing with rubbish along Warrnambool's foreshore and other tourists sites as council staff work bans hit the city.

Australian Services Union members last month implemented work bans last month over a pay dispute with the city council saying they would not collect rubbish or mow some grasses in the CBD or Lake Pertobe.

The council said external contractors had now been engaged to collect rubbish from public place bins.

The union said in response, staff had now changed which bins they were not emptying.

It also said sporting grounds were impacted by the industrial action and "clubs would need to make an assessment as to whether a sports ground was in a playable state".

The union is seeking two per cent a year over three years, or $30 a week, whichever is greater.

It said some employees were earning wages just above the poverty line and cited the Melbourne Institute which put the poverty line for a couple with 2 children at $995.14 per week.

Council workers on band two receive between $1027.40 and $1051.00 per week.

"These employees work hard providing home care services, protecting children as lifeguards and working out of Warrnambool's depot," the union said.

"Under Warrnambool City Council's flat two per cent offer, these low paid workers would be almost $500 worse off a year.

"Other employees, like team leaders and supervisors who will benefit from the $30 minimum weekly increase, are currently paid hundreds of dollars a year less than their counterparts at council like Moyne Shire."

A worker on band 6a at Warrnambool earns $76,386.95 while a worker on the same band at Moyne (before the recently negotiated agreement) earned $77,177.88 per year.

The council's parks and gardens budget for 2019-20 is $4.01 million.

The pay dispute comes in a year when ratepayers have been slugged an extra two per cent above the State Government-imposed rate cap in their rate bills after the cash-strapped council sought permission from the Essential Services Commission for an exemption.

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