Secretary’s wrap

It’s been a long running saga, but its finally looking as though we’re edging closer to an enterprise agreement at Freightliner.

There are a few key items still on the table, such as the term of the agreement, but the meetings of the past couple of weeks have left us confident of reaching an agreement with the company in the very near future.

It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey to this point. After a long, drawn out negotiation period, the company decided to go to workers with an offer we said was inferior. Not surprisingly, the workers rejected it. Since then, we’ve been exploring every avenue possible in order to reach an agreement that provides member with the pay and conditions they deserve – even holding protected industrial ballot of members.

Our persistence hasn’t quite paid off yet, but we’re getting closer. Stay tuned for into on that one.

Persistence has also paid off at the Newcastle depot where we’ve had a big win recently, with a long running dispute about the allocation of shed jobs finally being resolved.

You can read more about the issue in the article below, but the short of it is that it is a fantastic outcome for workers at the depot and a real testament to the dedication of local members.

It’s been a hot one around NSW today – I hope you’ve all managed to stay safe and comfortable despite the conditions.

I trust you’ll enjoy this edition of Loco Express. Stay safe.

Bob Hayden
Secretary, Loco Division