UNION WIN! CERTIFICATION 3 IN CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT DISPUTE

Bulletin No: 51.20

To: RTBU Transport Officer Members,

The RTBU has just received confirmation from Sydney Trains that they will be providing Transport Officers the Certificate 3 in Customer Engagement to the group of Transport Officers that graduated in the last few weeks.

The dispute started when members were advised by management they would not be receiving their certification due to COVID-19 causing them not to be able to not finalise some of the units required in order to graduate due to alternative working locations being organised to minimise contamination.

When the RTBU raised the obvious unfairness surrounding this issue, Sydney Trains maintained their position that due to the Transport Officers now being outside their probationary period, the funding (which is presumably linked to new employees being in training) had run out and therefore a certificate could not be awarded to them.

The RTBU put several options to Sydney Trains including recognition for prior learning, which Sydney Trains refused due to budgetary reasons.

The position of Sydney Trains would be better described as a bureaucratic skit being performed by the cast of Monty Python to which there was no relief for the impacted Transport Officers.

The dispute was escalated and the RTBU contended that Sydney Trains had breached several clauses of the Enterprise Agreement and its own Traineeship training contract.

Due to the significant pressure exerted by RTBU members, Sydney Trains have now agreed that the impacted Transport Officers will be issued their Certificate 3 in Customer Engagement.

There are several steps involved in this process and as such the granting of the certification may take a period of time.

The RTBU will keep members updated on this issue.

Issued by: Helen Bellette Organiser

Authorised by: Alex Claassens Branch Secretary

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