QUBE Members Enterprise Agreement Update

Last Friday, your Bargaining Representatives met with QUBE Management to continue with EA negotiations after we wrote to the Company reminding them of their Good Faith Bargaining obligations.

During this meeting, QUBE stated that 4% each year was all they were prepared to offer.

We reminded management that QUBE members are some of the lowest paid within the industry, and that the gap between other operators is increasing. We highlighted the Pacific National Bulk/Coal EA, which is at the final stages of voting, and includes $1000 for a yes vote plus 6% in 2023, and then 4% for each anniversary of certification for another 3 years, with a 2% Sunset Clause. Continuing with the comparison, the PN Bulk overtime rate is 1.8, whilst the current offer from QUBE is just 1.5%, from which QUBE claimed they wouldn’t move.

Temporary Transfer was another area of discussion. In QUBE’s overall package there was no increase in the temporary transfer allowance during the 3-year term proposed. QUBE have stated they will review this component of their package, however no commitment to change the offer was given.

Regarding some of your Rostering claims;
• Discussions were held on when the Rosters should be made available, which members have claimed should be by 1600hrs on each Thursday. QUBE maintain that they cannot do this. We will continue to work on this very vital matter until it is resolved.
• Available Days – QUBE has finally seen that there are many issues with Available Days and have agreed to work with your EA Delegate Team to re-write this clause. Some of the changes may include no Available Day if rostered more than 38 hours in a week and an Emergency Available Day in cases where there is an emergency as defined by the Rail Safety National Law. This way an Available Day could not be used as a rostering tool.

Members are reminded that the RTBU Locomotive Division will be out on tour starting this Thursday and continuing into next week. We hope to see as many members as possible to tell you the truth about the Enterprise Agreement negotiations so far.

Outside of bargaining, the Union has become aware that a number of QUBE members have not been provided with at least 1 weekend off in 4 (i.e., the Golden Weekend). This is potentially in breach of clauses 31.1(f) and (g) of the QUBE Logistics (Rail) Train Crew NSW Enterprise Agreement 2019 (the EA). The Union understands the importance of Golden Weekends to members in maintaining work-life balance and meeting family commitments. We therefore take any infringement or abuse of members’ time away from work very seriously. We also note that, per 31.1(g) of the EA, employees that work on an RDO are entitled to overtime in recognition of the significant sacrifice that workers make when they do perform tasks on a Golden Weekend.

If you believe that you have not been provided with at least 1 weekend off in 4, please complete the attached Notice of Dispute (NOD). You should address the dispute to your relevant supervisor or local manager. However, instead of lodging the NOD with your manager, please send the NOD to Kevin Pryor, RTBU Organiser at kpryor@rtbunsw.asn.au. Please include in the NOD details of:

1. If you have not been provided with 1 weekend off in 4 in the past (i.e. a Golden Weekend);
2. Your estimate of how many Golden Weekends you have worked (you can look at weekends in groups of 4 and see where you did not get at least 1 full weekend off in that set);
3. The relevant dates of any Golden Weekends you worked; and
4. If you were not provided with 1 weekend off in 4, and you were rostered to work on a Golden Weekend, did you receive overtime for the time worked?

Your Union will review the NODs to gain an understanding of how widespread and systemic the issue of workers not being provided 1 weekend off in 4 is. If the evidence does show that members are not being provided with their entitlements under the EA, then we will go back to the Company to try find a resolution.

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