LocoTV – 26 June

In this edition of LocoTV, hear about NSW Trains’ incorrect audit of Data Logger records, the TCAC refurbishment, the Rail Entities negotiations and the latest on the Pacific National redundancy program.

Transcript

1.
Revelations have surfaced that NSW Trains has been incorrectly auditing the Data Logger records.
The company was found to have been randomly auditing the Data Logger outside of the agreed protocol, without crews’ knowledge.
The Loco Division lodged a dispute as soon as the issue was discovered, and the company – after initially denying any knowledge of the protocol – has since conceded its was acting incorrectly and has committed to following the protocol in the future.
Crew will now be informed in advance when and where compliance audits will be taking place.

2.
It’s been a very disappointing start to refurbishments at the Train Crew Assignment Centre office and the associated buildings.
After 5 months of meetings to discuss what was needed – largely attended by management – a draft of a completely inadequate plan was recently seen by the Loco Division.
The plans, which had mysteriously included the loft drivers meal room, showed plans to maximise capacity in the room simply by cramming more chairs in there. Little attempt appears to have been made to accommodate the suggestions from the workforce.
The RTBU has raised its concerns about the refurb and the plans have since been modified and more genuine consultation is planned.
Stay tuned for more information as this issue progresses.

3.
The Rail Entities enterprise agreement discussions are continuing, with forced redundancies and salary maintenance high on the agenda during recent talks.
Regular meetings have been held between management and the combined rail unions representatives over the past weeks, including conciliation conferences at the Fair Work Commission.
The next step, which is currently underway, is for a combined delegates meeting and members meetings to be held around the state to gain feedback on the progress of negotiations.
You can see more information on the meetings and the negotiations on the Loco Express website.

4.
The Loco Division is working around the clock to get to the bottom of the ongoing redundancy issue at Pacific National.
Recent reports suggested the Asciano – PN’s parent company – is planning on shedding 500 jobs
As yet, we are unaware as to whether these 500 jobs are part of or in addition to the current redundancy program, but we believe they are a result of the PN Integration process which has previously been denied by the company.
The RTBU is taking this issue very seriously and is seeking urgent discussions with the company.
In particular, the union is still very concerned the current redundancy program is not genuine, but rather an attempt to casualise the workforce.