SSR Enterprise Agreement- February update

Your RTBU Bargaining team engaged with SSR again last week to present our responses to the latest offer. The key issues discussed during this session include: 

Wage Increase 

SSR’s current offer stands at 18% over 4 years (5%, 5%, 4%, 4%), plus back pay. 

The RTBU position: Progress is being made, but our claim remains at 20% over 4 years for a 4-year agreement, with a preference for a 3-year agreement at 15% 

Temporary Work Locations/Temporary Transfers 

SSR have offered a Living Away from Home Allowance of $30 per rest period, for anyone who is away from their Home Depot for more than 3 nights. They also propose utilising the barracks minimum rest of 8 hours between shifts. 

The RTBU believes this may contravene Rail Safety National Law. It is our position that once an employee arrives at a Temporary Work Location, it becomes their Temporary Home Depot and is then subject to a minimum rest period of 11 hours between shifts (or 12 hours as per your EA). 

We also oppose compelling Employees to spend multiple nights away from home if they are unable to fill those shifts with volunteers. The current EA’s barracks working clause (Clause 38.5.1, 38.5.2, 38.5.3) should remain, with the RTBU maintaining that barracks working is one rest period away from the Home Depot, and anything beyond constitutes a temporary transfer. 

Overtime 

SSR have not moved on their position that the overtime multiplier will remain as per the current agreement (1.5 or 1.7, depending on your classification). Our claim remains that the overtime multiplier should be 1.7 of the non-car rate for all employees across the board. 

Dispute Resolution 

SSR remains opposed to the RTBU’s claim for mandatory arbitration in the dispute resolution clause. Currently, if a dispute reaches the final step at the Fair Work Commission, both parties must agree to vest the power to arbitrate a resolution in the Commission. Without SSR’s agreement, the Commission can only make a recommendation, not an order to resolve the dispute. The RTBU sees this as a critical claim to ensure that all disputes can be conclusively resolved. 

Duty Cycle 

SSR have offered to pay out the overtime component of all hours worked over 168 hours in any month, while retaining the 6-month cycle. While this is an improvement, members have expressed some concerns that SSR will manage any excess hours away, prior to having to make any payouts. The RTBU 

Casual/Part Time 

SSR continues to refuse to cap the numbers and rostering of casual employees. The RTBU claim was to restrict the use of casuals if there is a qualified Driver available on a TBA shift. This claim is linked to the concerns about Drivers having any excess hours managed away from them. 

Consultative Committee 

As one of the parties bound by the Agreement, The RTBU seeks to have a Union Official from both NSW and Victoria. SSR continues to refuse this claim, even though there is no financial impact to them. 

Next Steps 

Since the recent meeting, SSR conducted a survey and scheduled subsequent meetings to discuss the survey results. Based on the communications from SSR, it seems that many employees have expressed concerns similar to those raised by the RTBU, contradicting SSR’s earlier claim that a majority of their crew was “happy with the proposed offer” in the bargaining meetings. 

We meet with SSR again next week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact your Bargaining Delegates and Officials