PN Bulk EA Update

DEFINITION OF PN GRATITUDE = DUMMY SPIT

After our recent depot tour, we met with PN Management again yesterday and put forward member feedback on their recent Pay Offer. That feedback overwhelmingly showed that members wanted some recognition and gratitude from the company for working above and beyond during the pandemic and that there needed to be a higher pay offer at the start of the agreement to offset no pay rise since April 2021.

Based on member feedback received, Your Negotiation Team put forward the following revised claim:

Plus, a $4000 Pandemic Gratitude Payment.

As previously reported, we have been trying to resolve several other outstanding issues besides pay. After waiting several weeks for PN to provide a draft of their Barracks and Bulk Classifications clauses, PN provided the drafts on Monday afternoon.

The drafts contained several items of concern including a list of Barracks Locations for Bulk Depots that have never been used or agreed and had removed some items from the classification structure that had previously been agreed, along with the watering down of AQF qualification requirements.

After some debate, we worked through PN’s two draft clauses, listening to their reasoning and explanations and whilst the discussions were constructive, we remain far apart on several issues.

At the end of the meeting PN, announced that while they acknowledged talks on Barracks and Classifications had been constructive, your revised wages claim was not acceptable to them, and they would again seek to return the bargain to the Fair Work Commission (FWC). Obviously Pacific National have little faith in their ability to negotiate a reasonable and acceptable agreement for members.

Returning the matter to the Fair Work Commission is disappointing and again delays resolution of your EA and any subsequent pay rise considering we were set to meet again next Monday, but now won’t meet until the end of the month at the FWC.

During our recent tour members made it abundantly clear that they are prepared to take further protected action to support their claim. Your RTBU Locomotive Division team will discuss options available to members today before notifying PN in the required time frames of further actions.

We will keep you posted.

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