Letter to members who work for ARTC

Dear members,

Last week we have had a taste of what it feels like to be standing between Federal Government Ministers and a bucket of money. Two senior Federal Government ministers have now intervened in the ARTC NSW enterprise negotiations.

Minister for Employment Senator Michaelia Cash has written to employees via CEO John Fullerton, and Wednesday the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Darren Chester MP also attacked workers in a press release.

Significantly, Mr Chester confirmed the Federal Government is proceeding with “market testing” for private sector involvement in ARTC work – and worse still – refused to take the opportunity to rule out the whole-scale privatisation of the entire ARTC business.

This matters because many of your conditions and current work practices will not automatically flow across to a privatised ARTC if they are not protected in your EBA.

The intervention of two Federal Cabinet of Ministers in this manner is extraordinary and unprecedented. It is clear that the Federal Government is petrified about the impact of your negotiations on the possible sale value of ARTC.

Frankly, Michaelia Cash and Darren Chester will do or say anything to get their greedy claws on $4 billion. They are desperately trying to fatten the ARTC goose, ready for privatisation, by starving its workers of fair and reasonable pay and conditions.

Voting NO to the proposed agreement will send a clear message to ARTC and to the Federal Government that you will not be bullied, and are serious about getting a fair deal on your wages and conditions. A deal that protects our hard fought conditions in the face of restructuring at the ARTC.

If you haven’t voted already, we urge you to vote NO and reject ARTC’s proposed agreement