RE-OPENING OF TRACK AT WALLAN FOLLOWING DERAILMENT

The following notice has been issued by the RTBU National Office to all members:

The RTBU believes that services should not be resumed on the ARTC line at Wallan until workers are satisfied that their safety concerns have been addressed.

To that end, the Union today wrote to Pacific National management demanding that rail workers be fully consulted prior to any decision to re-open the line.

Furthermore, the RTBU sought the following information from Pacific National, and from the track manager ARTC:

EARLY INVESTIGATIONS

Given that a preliminary report on the derailment is yet to be completed, the RTBU seeks to understand:

• What information about the likely cause of the derailment has V/Line been able to ascertain so far?

• How can V/Line be confident that all contributing factors involved in the incident have been identified?

• What actions have ARTC and V/Line taken to rectify any mechanical and human factors that may have contributed to the derailment?

TRACK AND OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS

It is vital that workers have an opportunity to assess the safety implications of these changes. Therefore, the RTBU seeks a full briefing on:

• The state and condition of the tracks, including the points where the derailment occurred.

• Whether the signals on this section of track are now fully operational – and if not, why not?

• Any safe working changes that have been made to operations, and whether these will have flow-on effects on the ARTC network.

WORKER COMMUNICATIONS AND SUPPORT

There must be clear communication with workers around all aspects of the re-opening. Furthermore, the re-opening of the line will itself pose OH&S risks for workers, including an increased level of anxiety. The RTBU seeks to understand:

• What communications will be made to workers to ensure they are fully informed of changes to track conditions and operations and how will opportunities will they be given to ask questions and seek clarification of any issues which may arise?

• What further controls or actions will be taken to manage the anxiety and stress workers may experience from the re-opening of the line?

Your Union will keep you informed of developments.  Your safety must come first.

Click here to download the bulletin from the National Office