Meeting with Ministers about the NIF Deed

Dear members,

Last Thursday, we met with the Transport Minister, David Elliott, Employee Relations
Minister, Damian Tudehope, and Regional Transport Minister, Sam Farraway. The purpose
of the meeting was to discuss the deed which is intended to lock in the safety alterations to the New Intercity Fleet to allow it to use the Waratah Operating Model.

Remember that we signed a deed back on 30 June 2022 that the Government has since
refused to sign. This new deed was to be a version that the Government was willing to sign.

Cynically, when we arrived at Transport’s office for the meeting, Tudehope and Elliott were
already doing a press conference before even speaking with us or producing a new deed for us to consider.

We finally received a draft copy of a deed 10 minutes into our meeting, giving us no time to consider its terms. Since then, we’ve reviewed it both practically and legally. The deed still is not satisfactory. It contains terms that produce the following outcomes:

1. If the EA agreement does not get voted up on the first vote, the deed will cease to
operate.

2. If the safety changes we require breach the warranty or “reliability guarantee” of the
supplier, they won’t be made.

3. The Government is the party that must be satisfied that the alterations are suitable,
with no view sought from the union.

We have made changes to the deed to ensure that there are no get outs for Government,
and that the safety alterations are guaranteed happen.

We are hoping to hear back from the Government early next week on their position on the
deed.

Meanwhile, our industrial action campaign continues. The Government seems hell bent on
blaming every issue on the railway network on us. We should be making sure we remind
people at every opportunity that we are not to blame, and the Government could fix all of this in an instant by showing some leadership.

If you do encounter abuse (verbal or physical) from the public, remember your rights under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012. If your safety is in any way under threat, you should remove yourself from the situation and go retreat to somewhere safe. Remember you can also talk to your HSR who has sweeping powers to order a cessation of work if things get too bad.

Management has an obligation to keep us safe. If they are not doing that, then we need to
take matters into our own hands.

In Unity,
RTBU NSW

Issued & authorised by Alex Claassens, Secretary, Rail, Tram and Bus Union – NSW Branch
Level 4, 321 Pitt Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 92642511
nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au

21 August 2022

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