Member Update: October 21 2022

Dear Members,

A big thank you to you all for contributing to the Go Fund Me page set up by the union after the loss of valued friend, Jared Church. Jared passed away at the age of 37, and he had been a member for ten years. To help support Jared's family, you can find more information about the fund below.

Our thoughts go out to all of Jared's workmates and his family and friends.

In other news, a reminder to members that we have set up an email action to the NSW Government. This email action calls on them to implement the recommendations of a recent parliamentary inquiry that found state-wide bus privatisation to be a failure. The more emails sent, the better the chance we have to make them listen. You can find more details below.

In Region 7, the last bargaining meeting with Busways was held on Thursday, 20 October 2022. The meeting led to the company sharing helpful information about the cost of certain claims. However, the company is still pushing 13-hour brokens, leading us to the point where members will have to seriously consider what they want to fight for and what they will accept.

For the CMET EA update, we are waiting for the company to send a draft document to kick off the review process and ensure it's agreed to all the union's changes. We'll let members know once we receive the document.

Out in Region 9, the union delegates and officials met with KDNB to discuss audit and payroll issues. Specifically, the union requested that the company not chase any overpayments made after 6 August 2022, to which the company agreed. You can read all the details below.

And lastly, the union anticipates negotiations with Wickham Trams will commence in late October/early November. You can read all about it down below.

We hope that you continue to stay safe and well. If you have any questions, ideas or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact your local delegate or the Tram and Bus Division office directly.

Remembering Jared Church

Thank you to the members who have dug deep to contribute to the Go Fund Me Page we set up for Jared Church, who tragically passed away at age 37.

Jared had been a respected team member of the Hamilton depot and a friend to many. In the ten years he had been a member, he had never been in to see the union about any problems.

All funds will go towards supporting Jared's wife, Rebecca and their three kids during this difficult time.

For those of you who are interested in helping Rebecca financially, we have organised a Go Fund Me page. Please click on this link to go to that page.

Thank you again to members who have already donated - your support is much appreciated during this tough time.

Members, please remember that if you are struggling, support is always available. You can access support resources through the Black Dog Institute. Additionally, 24/7 support is available at Beyond Blue.

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'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 7 EA Update

The last bargaining meeting with Busways was held on Thursday, 20th October 2022.

At this meeting, the company provided some good information on how much certain items would cost- like five weeks annual leave for all employees (not just ex-STA), etc., concerning how much they had bid for the contract. While we’re not limited by what they offered to perform the work for, it has to be something we consider when discussing the cost of certain claims.

The next meeting is currently scheduled for late next week, and depot meetings are being planned for the week after to discuss where we’re at. We are fast approaching the point where members will need to have serious thoughts about what they want to fight for and what they can live with.

A few things to remember-

We still have the two-tiered workplace in effect, and they just haven’t made two separate rosters.

The company is still pushing 13-hour brokens.

We’ll be looking at the option of industrial action when we have achieved everything we can through negotiations.

You cannot take industrial action if you are not a Union member.

If workers want to fight, then they need to JOIN THE UNION.

CMET EA Update

We’re waiting on the company to send us a draft document to go over. As soon as they do, we’ll start the process of reviewing it to make sure that the agreed changes have been put in and that no other changes have been made.

While the company wants it to go out for a vote as soon as possible there are things that need to be finalised.

For example, there was a commitment from CMET that in the proposed Grade restructure no one would be worse off. That means a way must be found to make sure not just that no one is worse off financially, but worse off in spending longer on a Grade than they would have otherwise.

When we receive the document, and it looks like that will happen next week, we’ll let members know and start the work to review it.

Region 9 Update

Today RTBU delegates and officials met with KDNB about the audit and payroll issues. The company advised that the audit was running behind schedule and the auditor needed more time.

In consideration of this, the union has asked for and the company agreed, that they will not chase any overpayment made after the 6^th of August 2022. This will not go on forever, and the timeframe will probably be in line with the fixing of the system errors.

The system solutions are in the process of being rolled out in stages. The first stage should fix most of the errors and is being rolled out now. KDNB says they expect that to be done mid-November, with the final stage being done by the end of the year. January will be for testing that everything is fixed and that no systemic pay issues are being created.

We’ve also been working on a better timesheet that gives drivers a simpler and more accessible version of the daily breakdown of their pay. It is apparently still impossible to have the payslips like they used to be with STA and currently we are more focused on helping them fix the pay nightmares. We’ll see how the planned changes help people keep track of their earnings. The company will be conducting meetings to explain how things are progressing and to give employees an opportunity to ask questions about the process.

We’ll continue to do whatever we can to help them get this right.

Wickham Trams EA Update

Negotiations to replace the existing Enterprise Agreement should commence in late October/early November.

In addition to this, the union is pleased to announce that Alvin Poulose has stepped in to replace Jan Aalto (who is leaving KDH on 21 Nov 2022) as part of the RTBU negotiating team. Alvin’s operational experience will prove to be invaluable when it comes to negotiating operational conditions for LRV operators.

In the meantime here is a reminder of the broad log of claims.

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

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your local delegate or the Tram and Bus Division office.

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 Attendance Ballot will open on the 17th November 2022 at 7:00am and close on the 17th November at 4:30pm.

The Postal Ballot closes on 12 December 2022, 5:00pm.

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

In solidarity,

David Babineau and Daniel Jaggers