Grand tour for private operators as government continues to ignore Newcastle workers

Transport for NSW is today hosting a goodwill tour of depots for companies tendering for contracts to operate the privatised Transport for Newcastle, as drivers again wear plain clothes to show their displeasure at a lack of support and information coming from government.

Despite promises from government to come back to the negotiating table, workers are still getting a raw deal.

During our last action in June Transport for NSW agreed to come back to the table, but in the last month they have again refused to budge on transitional packages and employment guarantees for workers forced to try and get a job with the private providers.

The government is happy to show off the goods to prospective buyers, but they aren’t willing to support the workers that privatisation will affect.

The union wrote to the tenderers to let them know that the government hasn’t been playing fair, and they will be buying a very unhappy workforce if Transport for NSW keeps treating workers like second class citizens.

We are encouraging the bidders to put pressure on the government to act now before the sale goes through and it becomes their problem to deal with.

The government is trying to keep the transitional package and job guarantee problems quiet so as to not scare the bidders, but the companies who want to run Transport for Newcastle should know what they are getting into.

While we have been in conversation with the Government in the Industrial Relations Commission, the union will look to run a full arbitrated case should further consultation fail to yield results for workers.