Visit the 
Visit the ARTC EA Negotiations – Progress Report
Further to yesterday’s newsletter, we provide the additional information. Newcastle and Hunter Valley ARTC members met yesterday and after hearing from union officials and local politicians, they decided that in an act of good faith to try and avoid further disruption to the public, resolved they would be prepared to lift Mondays planned two hour stoppage conditional to their regional colleagues agreeing with them, and on the basis that ARTC’s CEO meet on Tuesday with the negotiating team to hear their concerns. Shortly thereafter regional delegates were contacted by phone conference and endorsed the proposal. Members made it clear that other notified protected actions are to remain in place until the dispute is resolved.
RTBU state Secretary Alex Claassens contacted the ARTC CEO late yesterday, and he has agreed to meet on Tuesday on a without prejudice basis to hear member concerns.
On that basis, unions have written to ARTC to formally advise of the cessation of Mondays planned stoppages as follows;
“Withdrawal of Protected Industrial Action 12
ARTC have agreed to meet with the Combined Unions at 10am on Tuesday 9 August 2016. The indication provided by Mr John Fullerton (CEO of ARTC) to Alex Claassens (NSW Branch Secretary of the RTBU) is that ARTC has agreed to return to the negotiating table on a ‘without prejudice’ basis in Newcastle for the above-mentioned meeting in a genuine attempt to resolve the outstanding items.
As a gesture of good faith, the Combined Unions withdraw the two (2) consecutive 1 hour stoppages of work which were to commence at 2pm Monday 8 August 2016 in accordance with Notice 12.
Having said this, the Combined Unions reserve the right to notify and take these and any other form of protected industrial action in the future.”
On this basis the planned stoppage scheduled for Monday afternoon will now be cancelled. The combined unions negotiating team will meet with Mr Fullerton in Newcastle on Tuesday to hear members concerns.
Unions have also distributed a news release to local media regarding the decision.
It is important to remember other protected actions as advised in yesterday’s newsletter are still in force. Again we remind all members, the Combined Unions are recommending a “no” vote to ARTC’s offer on the NSW Enterprise Agreement (EA) – please let your colleagues know. It is vitally important that you and your colleagues participate in the vote and VOTE NO. ARTC has unilaterally put an enterprise agreement out to the vote without the agreement of their unions. The agreement is worse than that already voted down by employees in December, showing that after 7 months of negotiations in 2016, ARTC has blatantly ignored employees’ concerns.
Members will be kept informed through further Newsletters and SMS. Also visit any of the Unions web sites and Facebook pages, there are some great pics on there of members standing up for their rights at recent meetings.