SSR Enterprise Agreement update- SSR introduces new claims

Following the resounding No vote to SSR’s inferior Enterprise Agreement, we have resumed negotiations. Last week, we met with SSR management to go through the whole log of claims so that SSR could understand which claims are still to be considered as “live”. During this period, your RTBU Locomotive Division negotiating team offered a compromise to the Duty Cycle issue. That compromise is, to allow SSR to retain the 6-month duty cycle, with the proviso that any time worked up to 84 hours in a fortnight would be credited to the hours bank and any time over that would be paid as overtime on a fortnightly basis. SSR said that would need to model that proposal prior to replying. 

Right at the end of the meeting, we were notified that SSR now had some claims of their own. Those new claims are:

• Removing “mutual agreement” from the Green Day clause. SSR want to be able to force Employees to work up to 3 hours into your Green Days, so long as they give you 72 hours’ notice. Do you want them to be able to force you to work into a book off day? 
• Training Bonds. After solid opposition to this form of modern slavery from the RTBU, SSR originally agreed to remove the use of training bonds. Now they have reintroduced it. This is completely unacceptable. 
• Barracks Detention Cap. SSR wants to cap barracks detention payments to 12 hours per day, or until your next shift starts, whichever occurs first. If SSR can not roster effectively, to get you out of barracks in a reasonable time frame, they should be paying you, not forcing you to sit in a motel room for nothing. Our position is for any time over 12 hours in barracks to be paid as overtime. 
• Barracks Working. SSR wants to roster you up for up to 3 shifts in a row going to Barracks. Our firm position is that Barracks working is 1 rest period only, prior to returning to your home depot. 
• Minimum Shift. SSR wants to reduce the previously agreed minimum shift from 6 hours to 4 hours. 
• Work Boots. After previously agreeing to reimburse Employees who purchase their own boots, SSR now want to cap that reimbursement at $135, including GST. A quick Google search will show you the inferior boots that this will limit you to. 
• Medicals. SSR want to reinstate wording into this clause that has previously been removed, to facilitate medical retirements if you can no longer pass your medical assessment. 
• Leave with out pay. SSR wants anyone with a car, who takes leave without pay for more than 2 weeks, to return the car for the period of leave. 
• Annual Closedown. SSR want to introduce a clause allowing them to force you to take annual leave, up to twice a year during a closedown. If you do not have enough annual leave accrued, you would be forced to take unpaid leave. 
• Annual Leave. SSR wants to introduce words to allow employees to cash out up to 2 weeks annual leave per year. 

There are some other claims on their list. These include changing the wording around qualifications, adding their mission, vision and core values to the document and a review of work locations. 

Please contact your Locomotive Division bargaining team with any feedback on these extra claims. Our next meeting with SSR is on Wednesday 29 November 2023. 

Your RTBU Locomotive Division Organisers, Marc Chapman and Kevin Pryor will be on the road next week, meeting with QUBE members. The tour schedule will be available on LocoExpress. Please feel free to come along to any meeting you can get to. 

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