QUBE Members Enterprise Agreement Update

On Wednesday 14th December 2022, your Locomotive Division Enterprise Agreement Committee met with QUBE Management to continue bargaining for your replacement Enterprise Agreement.

We welcomed Greg Woods from the Newcastle Depot as part of your Enterprise Agreement Committee who is representing the North.

Our initial discussion were around QUBE’s proposed Annualised Pay Proposal. QUBE stated that it was too late in the Enterprise Bargaining to continue with this Proposal, however, they did state that this would be a QUBE Claim for the next Enterprise Agreement.

We then moved to a drafting review of your new Enterprise Agreement. At the end of the drafting, we were essentially in the same position as we were back in September of this year. QUBE are still rejecting 99% of your Log of Claims and have no intention on trying to fix any rostering issues.
QUBE’s phrase of the day was “Flexibility”

What has QUBE outright rejected:
• No to any Sunset Clause
• No increase to redundancy pay
• No to paying out sick leave when made redundant
• No to increasing Superannuation to 14% and making everyone equal under this Agreement
• No to increasing Annual Leave to 6 weeks
• No to adding 20% Loading when on Annual Leave
• No to reducing the Lift Up or Lay Back parameters
• No to Overtime for entire shift if outside of Lift up or Lay Back parameters
• No to Sydney having just one Depot instead of 3
• No to Overtime Payments when on Barracks Detention
• No to reducing the 40-hour pattern span
• No guarantee to issuing Cert IV in Train Driving if the employee was previously qualified by another company
• No to inserting a Mentor Driver Level
• No to inserting a Terminal Driver Level
• No to reducing Local Shifts to 9 hours
• No to increasing the minimum payment of a shift past 6 hours
• No to increasing a Mandatory Rest Day shift past 7.6 hours
• No to owning the Task/Job when the Working Roster is posted

Members continue to maintain all the above claims, despite QUBE’s refusal.

What was agreed:
• Local Shifts for Port Kembla to be 9 hours
• Making all Level 5’s to be on the Level 6 rate of pay

Most of the meeting was taken up discussing Rostering issues such as Available Days, Master Rosters, and the posting of the Working Roster, however there was no resolution of these issues.

We believe that QUBE just don’t get it. There is no Family Work Life balance, nor do QUBE care about it.

What’s next?

QUBE have again promised that they would supply a wholistic wage offer by close of business this Friday 16th December 2022, which includes the following:
• Proposed Temporary Transfer Allowance increase
• Proposed % Wages per year, however they stated it would not be 8%
• Proposed Overtime Rate
• Proposed Meal Allowance increase

Our next meeting is not scheduled yet, but we have suggested middle of January 2023. We are also planning an EA tour starting early February 2023, so stay tuned for dates, times, and locations.

With the Enterprise Agreement expiring on 31 March 2023, now is the time to prepare to fight to achieve your log of claims and positive outcomes members deserve. Only RTBU Locomotive Division Members can participate in any Protected Industrial Ballot or take Protected Industrial Action if approved.

Members will continue to be advised of any and all developments as they occur.

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