The RTBU has suspended all EBA negotiations with all business groups at Pacific National after PN Coal backtracked from the previous agreement of a common expiry date for a three-year agreement.

At odds with the other business groups, PN Coal says a common expiry date will only apply to a four-year agreement.

The RTBU has demanded that the company honour the agreed position in writing before negotiations can continue.

We will keep members posted of any further developments on LocoExpress.

For more info download the RTBU PN Member’s EA Newsflash No.4.

Freightliner drivers are set to become some of the highest-paid freight drivers in the state for a 38-hour week under a new agreement negotiated by the RTBU to be voted on next week.

The agreement includes a substantial performance allowance and a pay rise increase of 12% over 3 years, plus another 2% at the end of those three years as an advance payment for the next agreement, which is a sign of the good faith which has been developed between the Company and RTBU Loco Division.

Company plans to expand their operations contributed to the strength of the agreement. Many drivers considering signing up with Freightliner, who are coming from unionised workplaces, would not sign until they had seen the details of the employment agreement negotiated by the union; and the company wished to negotiate an industry-leading agreement to attract drivers to work for them.

The new Freightliner agreement sets a new industry standard that all RTBU Loco members can aspire to in their next enterprise agreement negotiations.

El Zorro workers will be pleased to know that their agreement was approved by Fair Work Australia on Monday 7th March 2011.

From the 14th of March over 100 workers across NSW and Victoria will now work under agreements that bring them up to industry standard in terms of pay rates and conditions. In particular, Roster Days Off will now be properly defined as from midnight to 6 am the following day, rather than any 36 hour period.

This agreement will expire on the 31st December 2013.

Identifying if any Local Agreements have been made at Sub Division level both in RailCorp and/or Freight Operators has recently become an issue for the Division. It is also difficult for the Division to keep up with the nature of any such agreements once they are aware of them.

We need to be careful about entering into “local agreements” which change conditions of employment as contained within Enterprise Agreements and/or Rostering Conditions. No changes will or can be recognised by the Division unless they have been signed by the Divisional Secretary and gone through the normal Divisional Governing Body approval process and in most cases, voted on by all affected members.

Your EA is a legally binding and enforceable Agreement and cannot be changed by a Local Agreement unless the proper and legally enforceable process has been followed. In the case of an EBA, this would in most cases require a new vote on the EBA and approval process with FWA.

It is important that negotiated and voted on conditions of employment are not “sold off” or negotiated away as a “favour” for the boss or for short term gain.

Members are advised the RTBU has arranged to hold an initial meeting with Freightliner Coal on Monday 14 February to discuss the proposed Freightliner Coal EBA. This will be the first EBA specific to Freightliner coal drivers.

Drivers for freight operator El Zorro have overwhelmingly endorsed their new EBA, which delivers a pay rise and a boost to conditions.

El Zorro drivers had slipped behind industry standards in some areas, including pay. The new RTBU-negotiated agreement means El Zorro drivers will now enjoy industry leading employment conditions.

The new agreement includes:

The EBA was voted up 45 to 1. A great outcome.