Meeting with the Transport Minister & Management Backflip (again)

Dear members,

As you may recall, on Wednesday morning we met with Transport Minister David Elliot to discuss where bargaining was up to, and to try and push things along given management’s refusal to move on our outstanding claims.

During the meeting we emphasised the vital need for an enforceable instrument to rely on when it came to the safety alterations to the NIF, and that we need our outstanding claims for our Cleaners and Infrastructure Division resolved. We made it clear that without coming to the party on those claims, there will be no agreement.

Finally, we said that the Government’s wage capped pay offer as it stands would not be accepted by members given that it would result in a real pay cut with inflation running the way it is – recently reported at 6.1%.

We left the the meeting hopeful that at least those claims would be resolved quickly, allowing the Combined Rail Unions to then move onto final negotiations around pay and finalising the wording of the EA.

However, on Thursday we met with Management to discuss drafting clauses for our claims that had been won throughout this process. During the meeting, as we have all seen too many times before, management started to backflip on its prior commitments.

First we saw a backdown on our claim for a meal allowance for each 4 hours away from the home depot for Infrastructure Workers, with management saying they are not willing to pay meal allowances for night shifts.

Second, we saw them walk away from their commitment to abolish the requirement to produce evidence when taking carers leave, as well as including a member’s spouse when not living in the same household in the definition of “family member”.

Third, management walked away from its commitment to allow unions the right to hold mass meetings of members when faced with a public crisis.

All of these points had been agreed to some time ago. This is the definition of not bargaining in good faith.

Then at 10.30pm on Thursday night, management sent through a letter with an attached list, backflipping on commitments on 13 additional claims. All of these claims had been agreed to (including drafting) – with some being agreed to up to 12 months ago!

This morning, we held a bargaining meeting to try and get to the bottom of this dastardly act and we demanded that those individuals responsible attend the bargaining meeting to explain their actions to our EA Delegates.
Unfortunately, management showed up with the usual crowd, and attempted to place the blame for the backflips at the feet of the Chief Executives. We demanded that an explanation be provided on the reasons for the backflips, but we received no answer other than the phrase “well this is our position”.

Clearly there are people working behind the scenes in Transport for NSW, whose identity we don’t know, and whose identity management won’t reveal, who are actively working against us all in our pursuit of a fair enterprise agreement. At the conclusion of today’s meeting, we demanded that whoever is behind the backflip, including those that are giving advice, be present at the next meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, 9 August 2022.

Finally, as the last item of the day, our EA delegates were given the opportunity to question management’s claim that has been widely reported in the media that our claims amount to a 16.51% pay rise in the first year of the Agreement. Predictably, this figure turned out to be overinflated and based on the wrong facts and assumptions. It turns out that the 16.51% figure was based on:

• pay rises from 1 May 2021 (backpay);
• included mandatory superannuation increases;
• converted their proposed $3,185 sign on bonus into a percentage pay rise; and
• put a percentage value on our wins on conditions.

We don’t know what the actual figure was, but members can be sure that the rubbish being touted by Damien Tudehope (Employee Relations Minister) in the media is just political spin that’s been made up to suit his agenda.

We will continue to escalate our actions, and the Government will continue to feel pain all the way up until the election next March if necessary. We fight until we win.

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
www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au

5 August 2022

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