RTBU joins IR protest

The RTBU made a strong showing at today’s public sector wide protest rally against new state IR laws.

Barry O’Farrell’s legislation is currently due to pass the lower house after winning support from the Shooters and Fishers and Christian Democrats parties to pass through the upper house last week.

The new law:

– strictly limits pay increases to 2.5%

– removes the ability of the Industrial Relations Commission to arbitrate on wages; and

– gives the government the power to change and remove award working conditions by regulation.

In effect, it gives the NSW Government complete control over pay and conditions and removes collective bargaining rights of public sector workers.

In anticipation of a harsh wages policy under the O’Farrell Government, the RTBU Loco Division worked with other unions to get a RailCorp agreement in place before the election.

The RailCorp agreement is registered with Fair Work Australia, meaning the NSW Government can’t remove the conditions it specifies for RailCorp drivers.

However RTBU bus drivers are in the firing line with their pay claim currently before the IRC.

The O’Farrell Government’s public sector wages law is bad news for all public sector workers in NSW; and sets the scene for attacks on private sector workers across the state too.

The RTBU Loco Division will join the campaign to overturn O’Farrell’s unfair public sector work laws.