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Member Update: September 23, 2022
Dear Members,
This week has seen the validation of what we've known all along - that the privatisation of Sydney's buses was a terrible move by the NSW government.
On Tuesday, the NSW Legislative Council released a report on the privatisation of Sydney's bus networks that found it continues to create chaos not only for commuters, but for bus drivers who are suffering at the hands of two-tiered workplaces (such as those members currently fighting for Same Job, Same Pay in Region 6).
It concluded that the best course of action is for the NSW government to reverse the privatisation of our buses and return it back into public hands.
Further details and our response to it is available in this Express.
In Region 6, we're still working through a number of rostering issues, which you can read about below.
In Region 7, we're now in a position to report back on some of the things Busways have discussed as part of bargaining, which is currently underway. It's important to remember that NOTHING is agreed during bargaining - it's always up to members to decide what is acceptable and eventually vote on a draft enterprise agreement.
The Fair Work Commission has now approved the Newcastle EA that members voted on and the plan for backpay has now been finalised. Backpay will be paid starting from late November 2021 in one instalment Friday 30 September. Further details are in this Express.
A reminder yesterday was a public holiday so we encourage members to check your upcoming payslips to make sure that you received your rightful entitlements.
We hope that you continue to stay safe and well.
New Parliamentary report urges NSW Government to reverse bus privatisation
With your support, we fought tooth and nail against the privatisation of our bus services.
While the NSW government sought to jeopardise our secure and reliable public buses and throw secure employment under the proverbial bus, we gathered the evidence and all your stories that clearly showed it was a terrible idea. Still, the NSW government went ahead with this plan and our public buses were no more.
Since then, it’s become clear that privatisation is the root cause of many shortfalls in bus services and is clearly eroding worker conditions and entitlements.
Working behind the scenes with our political allies, we successfully lobbied to have a parliamentary Inquiry into bus privatisation. While the terms of the inquiry related to Sydney, the Newcastle experience is completely relevant and our Novocastrian comrades were not left out.
This week, the NSW Legislative Assembly released a report that showed what we’d been telling them all along.
The report ultimately found that for commuters, the privatisation of our buses incentivised cost-cutting that has lead to limited services and higher transport fees. This negatively impacted many people who relied on safe, secure public transport to get where they need to go.
For workers, the result has been a consistent and widespread erosion of our long held entitlements and conditions. With TfNSW proving unwilling and unable to protect its workforce as they transitioned into the private sector, it’s fallen to the union to try and pick up the pieces to protect workers.
Out of the 11 recommendations given to the NSW government, the first one is a no-brainer:
“Recommendation 1: That the NSW Government give consideration to taking action to revert bus services to being publicly-owned-and-operated…”
We’re pleased to see that Parliamentary documentation has proven what bus drivers have known for years. However, it’s disappointing that it took so much suffering by workers and commuters before someone came to this conclusion.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on what the NSW government does next to respond to the report’s findings. You can expect to hear from us again with an update.
Public transport is a public service. We won’t rest until we see the return of our public buses, and the high-quality services that come with a secure and reliable public transport network.
Region 6 EA Update
This week we had meetings with the Transit Systems scheduling department. This was for both unions to query a few of the mechanics behind what the company was proposing as well as how some of our counter proposals would play out.
Armed with this information, we can start working out exactly how it will be possible to combine the two different rosters. The next bargaining meeting is scheduled for Tuesday the 27th (next week), and a combined TRBU/TWU delegate meeting is planned for October 4th. Hopefully we can report back some progress on the roster work, which is complicated, and have some options for members to consider.
Region 7 EA Update
The latest bargaining meeting was held this afternoon and discussions were about narrowing the gap between what members have told us they want and what the company has offered. It was also about trying to get costings and explanations from the company for some of the things they are asking for. They want 13 hour broken shifts; Why? What do they expect to save? How will that impact shifts? We’re getting into the nuts and bolts now so expect more depot visits and meeting.
Newcastle EA Update
The Fair Work Commission has approved the EA that Newcastle members voted on. This EA will come into effect this coming Monday 26 September 2022.
We can also confirm that backpay will be paid by Friday 30 September outside the current payroll.
KDH is unable to split the backpay into two parts as they have already closed off the 2021-2022 Financial Year. In this case, backpay will be given in one instalment starting from late November 2021. This 3% backpay will also be applied to any superannuation contributions paid after November 2021.
If you haven't received your backpay by 30 September, please see your local delegate.
Public holiday entitlements
Thursday 22 September 2022 was declared a public holiday to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Members should have received applicable public holiday entitlements for this day in accordance with your enterprise agreement.
Please remember to check your upcoming payslips to ensure you receive your rightful entitlements.
Should you have any queries or need any assistance, please don't hesitate to contact the union office.
In solidarity,
David Babineau and Daniel Jaggers
