Loco Express: Secretary’s Report

Dear members,

After the Federal Budget’s inadequate consideration of the security and rights of working people and the Berejiklian Government’s disrespectful 0.3% wage rise for public sector workers, we are once again faced with unjust changes in government plans.

ACTU has launched a petition – “You can’t heal the economy by hurting workers” – calling for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to put workers first as employer lobbyists descend on Federal MPs with the malicious intent of cutting wages and basic workplace rights for millions of workers.

Workers have been continuously getting the blunt end of the stick. If these anti-worker employer groups influence the Morrison Government to use the pandemic for their own gain, this will mean the removal of workers’ rights including penalty rates, weaken the safety-net and make permanent cuts to take home pay.

This is a serious threat and we need to do everything we can to make sure that the Prime Minister does not punish essential workers.

Another thing to be wary of is the “Train Crewing Flexible Working” survey being circulated to operational staff by Sydney Trains.

This survey is optional, but we encourage you to be cautious if you choose to complete it. Data collection topics include variable working locations, hours and type of working. While Sydney Trains may claim to have your best interests at heart this data is just another tactic in their attempts to curb the employment conditions we’ve fought tooth and nail for. This is especially concerning as the member/employee feedback may also be used to attack and manipulate the outcome of the upcoming Enterprise Agreement negotiations.

We must remember that any information obtained by Sydney Trains may result in long-term negative impacts on the current arrangements of Sydney Trains Members.

In more positive news, ex-IRA drivers had a big win in the Federal Court! The Court found that those who worked at IRA prior to it becoming QUBE Rail were entitled to two 3% wage increases each in 2014 and 2015. The Locomotive Division had been fighting for this claim since 2019, with unwavering efforts by the Division, Delegates and Members. Should it stand, QUBE will be required to pay relevant ex-IRA members/employees their back-dated pay increases with interest.

In other news, there were two PN Outsourced member sessions today to provide updates on the outcome of the Protected Industrial Action Ballot, and the types and duration of action available as approved by the ballot. In a show of determination and unity members voted overwhelmingly in support of all forms of nominated industrial action with a 93% return. The ball is now squarely in PN’s court.

PN Intermodal Members should have also now received their Notice of Employee Representational Rights (NERR) from Management, which has triggered EA negotiations with members now being surveyed on a Rollover of the existing agreement or commencement of full negotiations.

The two components to the EA Rollover position – the Agreement length and wage increase – are to be discussed with the hope that PN acknowledges the hard work of PNI Members throughout the pandemic and offers a pay increase that fairly reflects their efforts.

In the event of a Rollover being voted down – a “NO” vote – full negotiations will come into play, with surveys to be sent out to Members to create a Log of Claims. In a sign of the strange times we live and whilst not the preferred method of the RTBU any EA meetings that follow will be held via Zoom and Microsoft Teams due to current COVID restrictions. This will, no doubt, be new water for us and may make negotiations more challenging. But your Delegates and Organisers are determined to ensure that Members receive the just outcome they deserve.

In NIF news, Members may have heard of NSW Trains’ planned testing between Newcastle and Central this weekend. Management continued attempts to work around your representatives and invited members to spend their weekend as test passengers.

We all know that engaging with the RTBU and your representatives is an obligation of NSW Trains in the event of new rolling stock testing. Yet again, they’ve failed to inform us of this. Upon reminding them of their obligation we received a response late Thursday stating that Mission Readiness was, in fact, not ready.

There is still a log of over 100 outstanding safety issues and no clarity over the right-of-way procedures. Attempts by NSW Trains to rush through Mission Readiness are irresponsible, and could potentially have serious consequences for its negligence.

Assisting NSW Trains with this test is strongly discouraged by the RTBU, as participation by Members could be seen as an endorsement of this dangerous operating model. A survey of members shows that 98% of members won’t crew an unsafe train.

Do not be blackmailed or bullied into helping management withs such a disastrous roll-out.

In an ominous sign to all members late last month ONRSR announced an In-cab audio and video safety recordings: Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement, claiming: “It is timely to consider the value of in-cab video and audio recordings in providing critical information about the in-cab environment in the moments leading to a rail incident on Australia’s rail network. This has been highlighted following recent fatal rail incidents and also in response to a number of ATSB investigations, where this information would help provide investigators and the rail industry with critical information that may help to prevent a similar incident from occurring again”.

National Assistant Secretary – Locomotive Division, our very own Keith McMahon, with the support of the RTBU National Office, has prepared a detailed submission outlining our position as developed and endorsed by the RTBU National Locomotive Division which can be found in this edition of Loco Express. Members will be kept updated on the outcome of the “consultation” which we hope is not just an attempt by ONRSR to undertake a process to achieve a predetermined outcome on behalf of employers.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Loco Express.

In Solidarity,

Bob Hayden
RTBU Locomotive Division ​Secretary