Freightliner talks hit a wall

The Freightliner enterprise agreement negotiations have stalled.

After many months of negotiations, the company is still refusing to provide members with a fair and reasonable offer.

In fact, at the last meeting between the company and union representatives on the 18th of August, the company even dropped its wage offer by 0.5% when compared to its offer at the previous meeting.

Following the talks in August, the union met with workers – both members and non-members – to discuss how best to move forward on the issue. Workers agreed that they are unwilling to give up any of their hard-earned conditions, however in a show of good faith, proposed a slightly altered wage offer in an attempt to break the impasse and reach a suitable outcome for both parties.

However, the company has since written to Loco Division Secretary Bob Hayden formally rejecting the union’s offer.

The RTBU is currently in the process of organising a meeting with Freightliner workers to discuss the next steps. A reminder to all workers that not being a paid up member of the union severely limits your ability to fight with your colleagues for better wages and conditions. For information on how to join, contact the Loco Division office on (02) 9264 3400.