Member Update: November 11 2022

Dear Members,

It's been another big week for us all. 

The Office of Transport Safety Investigation released an interim report on the grounding of Sydney's Inner West Light Rail fleet in October 2021. Members, please be assured the Union is keeping a close eye on this investigation and its findings. In the meantime, you can read a breakdown of the report down below. We hope that you continue to stay safe and well.

For the Region 7 roster dispute, we've had positive news emerge, with Busways agreeing to put a hold on any proposed roster changes until at least the new school term next year. You can read all about it below. Well done to our delegates from Willoughby and Ryde, Garry Baker and Alan Nikhol, for placing these rosters in dispute due to the imbalance.

Additionally, out in Region 6, we've extended the current poll due to a relatively low turnout considering the importance of the topic. Members in Region 6 should anticipate a Monday bulletin on this.

And a reminder to members that we have an action set up to email the NSW Government. Bus privatisation has been an abject failure, and no one knows better than you all. By emailing the Government, you'll send that reminder to the power that be, and the more emails sent, the better our chance of making them listen. 

Finally, Jared Church's wife, Rebecca, will visit the Hamilton depot on Wednesday, 16 November, at around 9.30 am to thank you for the support members showed during this difficult time. On that note, thank you to everyone who dug deep to help Rebecca and her three children. 

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. 

Office of Transport Safety Investigation into fractures of Urbos 3 Light Rail Vehicle Underframes 

The Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) released an interim report on the grounding of Sydney’s Inner West Light Rail (IWLR) fleet in October 2021.

OTSI’s investigation into the incident is ongoing and scheduled for completion in the first half of 2023. Given the complexity of the matters under investigation and the public interest, OTSI has produced an interim report. This interim report aims to outline the facts gathered to date, along with some of its observations.

OTSI undertakes ‘no-blame’ investigations to understand why incidents occur and make recommendations to prevent them from happening again and improve transport safety. The IWLR investigation was launched in November 2021 following the discovery of a range of fractures in the Urbos 3 light rail vehicles (LRVs) underneath the seating in the bogie box area and in the underframe bogie bump stops.

The Interim Safety Investigation Report covers the procurement, maintenance, and operation systems and processes for the Urbos 3 LRVs, including:

• Fracture detection timeline and location
• Contract sourcing and associated governance
• Design, approval and acceptance related to the bogie and underframe
• Maintenance inspection regime for the bogie and underframe
• Operating parameters and performance for track geometry and speed
• Response to the safety issue by relevant parties
• Similar LRV incidents.

The Union is monitoring this ongoing investigation and will keep an eye on the ongoing revelations brought about by its findings. When it comes to transport and transport safety - no one knows better than our members, and we at the Union stand ready to elevate the voices of our members, and we will refuse to tolerate any potential attempts in the future to cast blame. Specifically, while we wait for a final report, the Union is ready to hold the Government to account for its failure to invest in the proper infrastructure of a dedicated tram line instead of using the old existing line.

Region 7 Roster Dispute

We have successfully prevented the introduction of the rosters that Busways attempted to introduce - mainly due to the need for more thought to be given to work-life balance. 

Busways have taken on board our members views and will not be looking to take on any proposed roster changes till at least new school term next year. Before this, Busways will present each local delegate with revised work-life balance rosters that should have members currently on rosters no worse off. 

Well done to our Willoughby delegate Garry Baker and our Ryde delegate Allan Nickhol for placing the rosters in dispute, based on the lacklustre rosters that failed to consider members' work-life balance properly. Thanks to their great initiative, we've seen such a fantastic result over this Roster dispute.

Region 6 EA Update

The current poll for Region 6 members has been extended due to a relatively low turnout considering how important the topic is. A bulletin will be sent to Region 6 members Monday to encourage workers to have their say. This is to determine the direction we take negotiations and members need to speak up!

Email the NSW Government to end Bus Privatisation 

In September 2022, 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.

Remembering Jared Church

A big thank you to everyone who donated to the Jared Church fund that was set up. This fund has gone towards supporting Jared's wife Rebecca and his three children.

Jared’s partner Rebecca will be visiting the Hamilton bus depot on Wednesday 16 November at around 9.30am to thank Jared’s work colleagues for all the support they have given the family over the last few weeks.

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