Dear members,

Our thoughts are with members who are being affected by the floods brought on by this week's deluge. We wish for your safety, as welcome news comes of the weather easing over the next few days. 

We'd like to start off by acknowledging David Woollams from Hamilton Depot. David was granted Lifetime Membership to the RTBU on Wednesday following more than three decades of active and enthusiastic involvement in the RTBU and in the Tram & Bus Division. You can read more about David's story in this edition of the Express and on our Tram & Bus website. We know there's more to come from David, and we're forever grateful for his contribution and action in all our activities.

The NSW Government has announced an easing of restrictions from Monday 29th March. One of these is that mask use on public transport is now "Strongly Recommended", rather than "Mandatory". Masks are still encouraged in situations where you cannot practice social distancing (i.e. peak times).

The Easter holiday season is approaching. As we notified you in the previous Express, the union Executive is working diligently to lock in an alternative activity for your well-deserved picnic day. This comes after this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show Organisers placed restrictions on attendance that unfortunately do not match our usual picnic day process. The restrictions mean we had to nominate a single day for members to attend, rather than members choosing their own day. Options to be discussed at the next meeting are a gift card, a Family Fun Day, or both. Let your Delegate know your preference before they attend the next Executive.

For those members who have, within their industrial instruments, a provision for the employer to pay for a picnic day (STA, Keolis Downer, and TSA), the union has nominated Sunday 11 April 2021 as the picnic day.

To the news now, where the first locally-made electric bus will be looping the suburb of Bondi. It's the newest addition to the NSW government's zero-emissions fleet, which is expected to complete transition by 2030. NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has announced that commuters in the Bondi area are welcome for a free ride as part of the trial.

Once again, we encourage you to show your support for the most recent RTBU campaign calling for the government to protect COVID-vulnerable workers.The petition targets workers with pre-existing conditions who are more susceptible to adverse effects from the virus. Implementing a financial support system similar to JobKeeper will allow them to remain safe at home and securely employed to ensure they can stay out of harm's way. As essential workers, we know that a way to ensure safe and secure employment in the face of adversity should be a right for all.

We are continuing to appeal to members to please give generously to the donation accounts we have set up for the following members:

Michael Yammouni, a TSA bus driver from Leichhardt bus depot - Michael has been involved in an accident that has tragically resulted in the death of a pedestrian. All funds from the account will go towards Michael's legal defence. View the details on where to donate here.

Roy Stanton, an STA bus driver from Randwick bus depot - Roy has been involved in an accident that has tragically resulted in the death of a delivery driver. All funds from the account will go towards Roy's legal defence. View the details on where to donate her.

And a reminder that the deadline to activate RTBU Gift Cards is March 31st. To those who have not yet done this, we encourage you to mark this off your to-do list in order to use the card for well-deserved goodies.

We hope that you continue to stay safe and well.

RTBU Gift Cards - Activate before the deadline

In order to use your RTBU Gift Cards, please activate your card by March 31st. The card is valid until September 30th.

Life Membership for David Woollams

Tram & Bus Division member, David Woollams, was presented with Lifetime Membership to the RTBU by Branch Secretary Alex Claassens on Wednesday 24th March.

David was an incredibly hard-working member of the union and has made countless contributions over the years he’s been active since 1984.

David started his journey as a bus cleaner at Hamilton Depot on January 9, 1984, where he later trained as a bus driver nine months later.

In the two decades that followed he was part of both the Hamilton (1984 -1990 and 2000-present) and Belmont Depots (1990-2000), where he served as a relief Delegate, acting Delegate in the absence of the elected Executive Officer, and was eventually voted in as Executive Officer during his time at Belmont Depot.

Four years after returning to the Hamilton Depot in 2000, David was elected Hamilton Executive Officer in 2004.

David became the NSW Branch Assistant Secretary in 2012. In 2013 he became the Tram & Bus Divisional Organiser and also served as the Divisional President from 2014 to 2018 prior to his retirement.

Along the way, David face many challenges. There are quite a few of note.

• The proposed privatisation of Newcastle buses by the Grienier/Baird Liberal government
• Prevention of buses terminating at Newcastle’s West end, which would have resulted in job and bus services losses
• The fight to retain a bus layover in the East end of Newcastle
• Arguing for a living away from home allowance for Newcastle drivers during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, resulting in drivers being allocated free accommodation.

David has also been a friendly face on numerous Councils and Committees:

• Bus (bus cabin design and air condition to be in all new buses)
• Bus seats (introduction of ISRI driver seats)
• Bus stops
• Clothing (new uniforms & akubra hats)
• Enterprise Agreement
• OH&S and WH&S
• Tribunal
• Roster
• Local Council
• Campaign
• Tram & Bus
• Branch
• National

David was ardently committed to representing members at both Hamilton and Belmont depots in Newcastle on discipline matters, and maintaining fairness and equity of weekend work for all members. He was also a prominent voice in our campaign against the privitisation of government services in NSW.

David is extremely deserving of his Lifetime Membership and we are very proud of his service to the RTBU.

Congratulations David!

Let’s look after COVID-Vulnerable workers, and keep Australians safe.

Australia is doing an incredible job of containing the COVID-19 virus. But when outbreaks occur, not everyone can work from home during a lockdown - and this loss of income is disastrous for workers and their families.

The RTBU is launching its campaign for a COVID-Vulnerable worker payment, allowing workers to continue receiving their full pay, while staying at home and out of harm’s way during a lockdown period. Help us keep Australia and its workers safe.

Sign the petition, spread the word.

Watch an explainer video here.

Donations for TSA Driver Michael Yammouni

Donations are being collected to assist a TSA bus driver from Leichhardt bus depot. Michael has been involved in an accident that has tragically resulted in the death of a pedestrian.

We’ve all had and seen near misses and know how easily this could happen to any one of us. The RTBU has set up an account for drivers to donate to and help with Michael’s legal defence. Add your name or depot location to the deposit reference field so Michael knows who has contributed.

Thank you for supporting our colleague as he traverses this most difficult of times.

View the details on where to donate on the Tram & Bus website.

Donations for STA Driver Roy Stanton

Donations are being collected to assist an STA bus driver from Randwick bus depot. Roy has been involved in an accident that has tragically resulted in the death of a delivery driver.

We’ve all had and seen near misses and know how easily this could happen to any one of us. The RTBU has set up an account for drivers to donate to and help with Roy’s legal defence. Add your name or depot location to the deposit reference field so Roy knows who has contributed.

View the details on where to donate on the Tram & Bus website.

First NSW-manufactured electric bus to be trialled in Bondi

The latest addition to the state's growing zero-emissions bus fleet has been manufactured locally and will be trialled in the suburb of Bondi. It was made by Custom Denning, which has operations in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, and was one of a number of bus companies enlisted to help meet the NSW government’s zero-emissions transport target.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced the new home-grown e-bus last Friday, inviting commuters to board for a free trial of the pollution-free service. 

The Berejiklian government’s plan to transition the state’s 8,000 bus fleet to zero emissions vehicles was detailed in December of last year, with an initial goal of rolling out 120 electric buses in 2021.

Read the full article on The Driven.

COVID-19: FAQs

We are constantly updating the COVID-19 frequently asked questions section of the website, so please make sure you head there and have a look. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to contact your local delegate or the Division office at nswbus@rtbu-nsw.asn.au. 

Thanks for your essential work during a time of crisis.

In solidarity, 

David Babineau and Daniel Jaggers