Watco EA update- PABO vote
Protected Industrial Action
Your RTBU Legal team made an application on Wednesday to the Fair Work Commission to start process to approve your legal right to take Protected Industrial Action.
As such, protected action ballot orders will be made by the Commission today, and the ballot will likely commence next week.
The RTBU’s authorised ballot agent True Vote will undertake the ballot.
Watco and the RTBU Locomotive Division must then send True Vote details of your employment and RTBU Membership. The ballot agent will match the data and any employee of Watco who is an RTBU member will receive details on how to vote. If your details don’t match, or you’re not a Member of the RTBU, you will not receive a vote.
The vote will be conducted by electronic means, and you will be asked to answer the following 3 questions approving industrial action by:
- taking protected industrial action in the form of an unlimited number of stoppages of work of 1 minute to 24 hours in duration.
[yes/no]
- bans, limitations, or restrictions (including changes to the performance of work resulting in bans, limitations, or restrictions) on the manner in which work is undertaken?
[yes/no]
- Interrupting work periodically, over an indefinite period or for specified periods, in order to: wearing or displaying on your person union and/or industrial campaign material.
- distribute union and/or industrial campaign material by any means.
- attach union and industrial campaign material to outgoing mail, emails, and adding it to employer materials and displays.
- attach union and industrial campaign material to work vehicles and assets (that does not impact on safety).
- provide information, in any form, concerning the views of employees about any aspect of the bargaining campaign to any members of the public, including the media.
[yes/no]
Remember to vote YES for each question as this is your chance to unite and fight for your working conditions and pay and to show Watco that you won’t accept an inferior Enterprise Agreement.
Only financial members of the RTBU can take Protected Industrial Action.
EA Update
There is a proposed EA meeting scheduled for 6 November 2024 to continue with EA Negotiations, however if Watco aren’t going to bargain in Good Faith or start to listen to your EA Bargaining Team, then it will be up to you to determine what Protected Industrial actions you wish to take.
Member Meeting
A member meeting will be held at the Five Island Hotel next Wednesday 30 November 2024 starting at 5pm to discuss the outstanding issues with the EA plus all things relating to the Protected Industrial Action Ballot, including what actions you wish to take if there is no resolution to the EA Negotiations.