Member Update: October 7 2022

Dear Members,

It's been a pretty big week for us all.

We know the privatisation of the bus network has been a nightmare for workers and commuters alike. The government and NSW have broken promise after promise and the union has worked to protect workers in the most hostile environment imaginable. The recent parliamentary report gives us the opportunity to push the topic publicly and remind the Labor Party that if they win the next election, we expect them to take action. Please take the time to send an email via the link and share it with as many people as possible!

Today, Newcastle members should also have received their backpay starting from November 2021 since the new Enterprise Agreement came into effect on Monday. Please see your local delegate if you haven't received it by the end of today.

In Region 6, we held a combined RTBU/TWU delegate meeting, which you can read about the details below. We're also making progress with our meetings with Transit Systems.

At Newcastle Trams, members unanimously endorsed the broad log of claims to be presented to Keolis Downer and formal negotiations should kick off within the next couple of weeks.

CMET bargaining is ticking along well, and a draft will be available for members in the next week to review. Read about the progress so far below.

And finally, a reminder that Monday was a public holiday marking Labour Day. We encourage members to check your upcoming payslips to ensure you have received your rightful entitlements.

We hope that you continue to stay safe and well.

Email the NSW Government to end Bus Privatisation

Last month, the NSW Legislative Assembly handed down a report recommending the Government end bus privatisation.

You can read the full report and its recommendation here.

We've known that bus privatisation doesn't work; no one knows this better than our members and commuters who have both suffered.

That's why we've set up an action calling on the NSW Government to adopt the report's recommendations. You can add your name to our letter and help add pressure on the NSW Government to fix the mess they've made.

It's been an abject failure, and now the calls to end privatisation are coming from the Labor Party and Greens and WE NEED TO ADD OUR VOICES!

It'll only take a moment and the more emails we send, the greater our chance of making bus privatisation an issue for the election and beyond.

Region 6 EA Update

After a combined RTBU/TWU caucus this week, a proposal was endorsed by delegates. This has now been put to members for feedback. The union is not in the business of telling workers what to do; it’s up to them to provide feedback and tell us what to fight for.

The combining of two sets of conditions and hours of work is a complex task. Before we look at plugging in things like penalties, annual leave or ADO's, we have to settle on the pattern of work. There are currently two patterns of work, one for each workgroup (one being the ex-legacy workgroup and the other being #900 drivers).

We are working on a possible solution to increase this to 3 patterns of work and allow members to decide which pattern they want to do. Switching to this claim provides us with a solution to some of the biggest issues we face in resolving the negotiations.

This could potentially be done by introducing a 4/6 roster in between the 5/6 legacy and 4/5 #900 driver patterns of work. This would give workers better flexibility and choice about how to structure their work to fit in with their lifestyle and financial responsibilities.

Members were sent a bulletin this afternoon outlining the proposal and we look forward to feedback over the next few days. If this isn’t something members want to pursue, then we’ll be looking at other ways forward in creating a single body of work.

CMET EA Update

Another meeting was held this week in Canberra to replace the Greenfield Agreement. The RTBU and ETU are seeking a wide range of inclusions and enhancements and the company has now given a response to many of our claims.

There are some issues still under negotiation and of course some claims were rejected, but the following has been agreed to-

Increase from 24 to 48 hours the notice required for rostering changes.
Increase from 2 to 4 weeks for rosters being displayed (this also means leave will need to be submitted 4 weeks in advance where possible).
Split Shift allowance of 25% of hourly rate for all time in the break between shift portions.
Increasing the mentor allowance to 10% and including paperwork as paid time for the purposes of paying the allowance.
Two 15 min rest breaks for CSO's. One rostered and one to be taken at the worker's discretion.
'Transfer of employment' clause will be removed.
Occupational First Aid allowance of $20 per week to be introduced.
All grades have been improved in value and a 4^th grade has been added above so senior workers have the opportunity for more dollars per hour.

The following policies will be incorporated or referenced in the EA to lock them in place;

a. Emergency/Community leave for RFS, SES, ADF personnel.

b. Bereavement leave.

c. 10 Days paid Domestic Violence Leave (this will be a lawful requirement soon.

Eventually, we want to have common conditions across all Light Rail operations no matter if it’s Newcastle, Sydney or Canberra. This Agreement will be an important step in lifting up the current working conditions of members at CMET and will set us up well for future negotiations.

A special shout out to Dominic Nugent who has stepped into the delegate role at CMET for drivers. In the short time he’s been acting in that capacity he’s shown his ability and dedication to fighting for the best result for his colleagues.

It’s only when workers are united that we can achieve the best results!

Newcastle EA Update - Backpay Due

The Fair Work Commission has approved the EA that Newcastle members voted on. This EA came into effect on Monday 26 September.

Backpay should have been paid by Friday 30 September.

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 the end of today, please see your local delegate.

Wickham Trams EA Update

There has been unanimous agreement from members in a recent survey, to endorse the broad log of claims to Keolis Downer Hunter.

1. Keep all current entitlements and conditions in current EA

2. Seek real pay increase to reflect a living wage

3. Enhance flexibility within rosters to accomodate work/ life balance

4. Provision for KDH to reimburse medical costs for members associated with maintaining their employment

5. To include a consultation clause so members can have input into structural, policy and other changes Keolis Downer Hunter make that affect working conditions

6. To update the provisions of the enterprise agreement according to any changes in legislation

With the claims endorsed by members, the Union will begin formal negotiations with Keolis Downer Hunter within the next few weeks.

Member Survey

Thank you to everyone who completed the National Member Survey for 2022. The deadline for submissions ends today.

Essential Research will analyse the data from these responses and place all their key findings and conclusions into a report.

Additionally, we'll share this survey's results by publishing a summary in the January edition of the national member magazine, Transport NOW and in branch publications.

Thank you once again to everyone who completed the survey. The survey was of critical importance to us, as the results will help shape the future of the RTBU.

Union Elections Reminder

A reminder to members that union elections for National and NSW Branch positions for 2022 are fast approaching. All members are encouraged to cast a vote - this is the best way to make sure the future representatives have the best interests of members at heart. Casting a vote during the Union elections is an incredibly important part of strengthening the democratic process of our union.

The ballot will open on the 24th October 2022 and close on 5pm 21st November 2022.

We urge all members to use their voices by voting in the upcoming elections.

In solidarity,

David Babineau and Daniel Jaggers