Taking ownership of disappointment

Members may recall that on the 27th of November NSW Trains Chief Operating Officer, Dale Merrick sent a message to you the membership, stating;

“We (NSW Trains) are disappointed that the RTBU decided to take this course of action…”

That is to say that you, the rank and file employees and our members, that are the RTBU, are a disappointment to him and his senior managerial colleagues. Like a father disappointed in his misbehaved children, rather than just plain old angry. Like NSW Trains senior managers have a moral ground in which to be disappointed because of your actions….

The dictionary definition of disappointment is;

“Sad or displeased because someone or something has failed to fulfil one’s hopes or expectations.”

Given the events of early Friday morning , occurring on the grounds of safety, were a result of 90% of you the membership informing NSW Trains that the NIF operating model is unsafe, offers no reason or excuse for a regretful acknowledgement of offence. These events were backed by the documented evidence of an independent safety validator who actually partook in the NIFs dynamic and static testing.

The RTBU Locomotive Division makes zero apologies because NSW Trains senior managers are sad and displeased because their hopes and expectations to a dangerous mode of operation;

• Puts NSW Trains customers’ lives at risk
• Ignores the evidence, summary, and conclusions of an independent safety report
• Overloads train drivers with unacceptable workloads; and
• Is a transitional phase to driver-only operations

In his message he then goes on to add that the RTBU and its members;

“…has not only impacted the customers, but our staff who arrived to start their shift at midnight and rely on a steady work roster…”

Seriously, the NSW Trains Chief Operating Officer has to ask himself what tragic impacts his expected NIF operating model will have on his customers and their families if this dangerous proposal hits the NSW rail network. And, what impacts this operating model will have on the well-being of his employees, who are our members, when those tragedies occur.

He needs to understand that our members do rely on a steady work roster. A roster that ensures that any scheduled diagram provides a safe working environment driven to managing fatigue.

Lastly, he needs to acknowledge that what happened at midnight was a willing act that saw our membership willing to sacrifice their pay in an effort to put his customers safety first.