VOLUME 110 No.1 March 2018
AND
RAILROAD THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW BRANCH OF THE RAIL, TRAM & BUS UNION
Fix NSW Transport
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Branch Executive Secretary Alex Claassens President Joanne McCallum Assistant Secretary (Road) David Woollams Assistant Secretary (Rail) Robert Hayden
Elected Full-Time Officials Branch Secretary Alex Claassens Locomotive Divisional Secretary Robert Hayden Tram and Bus Divisional Secretary Chris Preston Tram and Bus Divisional President David Woollams
Organisers
Director of Organising Alison Rudman Freight Organisers Steve Wright
RAIL & ROAD is the official journal of the NSW Branch of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and is produced as part of the union’s communication strategy to inform and report on matters of interest to members. All editorial and advertising inquiries should be addressed to Peter O’Connor Telephone: 0430 188 116 e-mail: poconnor@rtbu-nsw.asn.au Printing - Brightset, Banksmeadow, (02) 9316 4800 Art & Design - P Design - proberson@hotmail.com - Phone 0402 032 949
Kevin Pryor
Passenger Organiser Bob Newham Branch Organisers Helen Bellette
Mick Cartwright Graham Fozzard Luke Hayden Trent Hunter Industrial Officers Lizanne Bennett Jessica Epps (Locomotive Division) Communications Officer Peter O’Connor
From the Branch Secretary This year has certainly gotten off to a flying start across all areas of our industry. Nobody could have missed the media coverage throughout January, which started with reports of meltdowns of the Sydney rail network as the new timetable was found seriously wanting as soon as a number of incidents occurred. This was largely whitewashed by the Government as it attempted to blame rail workers for these failings, contrary to their own assessment of these incidents, which are reported in this Rail and Road. Despite these events, our Sydney and NSW Trains members remained solid and resolute in seeking protected industrial action to progress a reasonable and fair EA outcome, only to have this overturned by an outrageous decision in Fair Work Australia. Rail workers were left angry and frustrated when the FWC agreed with the employer and government arguments that the proposed industrial action would adversely affect the NSW economy and the welfare of commuters. The simple reality here is that these factors should have been considered before approving the protected industrial action, not a few weeks later when the government is in crisis management mode. This decision leaves lingering doubt for any workers in just how confident that they can be to be able to operate
within the already restrictive protected industrial action framework, and whether any threatened action, which has gone through all of the legal loopholes to be approved, can still be thrown out at the last minute at the request of employers or government. It begs the question of what action is available to workers to improve or progress a negative or stalemate negotiation process for improved wages and conditions. Members in the freight area, in particular Pacific National, as well as ARTC and others, have also been fighting their own battles with different employers, and being forced to take industrial action to keep enterprise agreement negotiations on track. This issue of our journal also reports on the developments in the ongoing bus privatisation dispute in Region 6 and the growing public anger over the Newcastle transport. These have received a lot of media and community attention since they were announced, with good attendances at public meetings opposing the privatisation moves. Opposition Leader Luke Foley and his NSW Labor colleagues have made the privatisation issue a regular item of debate in the NSW parliament. Minister Constance persists with his bungling agenda regardless of community opinion, regardless of fact checks, and has made some very
telling statements in the process, about his desire to privatise as much of the public transport system as possible, and his hopes of destroying our union in the process. We hate to burst his bubble, but this is one wish that will not come true. With the Transport Minister attacking workers across the whole transport industry – bus, workshops, infrastructure, train drivers, train guards and station staff, clearly the emphasis needs to be on the importance of the RTBU staying united to fight off all forms of privatisation. A number of politicians, UnionsNSW and other unions are supporting the RTBU in the fight against privatisation. The community have come out strong in support of the RTBU and it has shown that our alliances with community organisations such as the Sydney Alliance, the Local Union Community Groups and the expense of setting up the Commuter Website are justified. These public sentiments were no more obvious than at recent Fix NSW Transport rallies. We will continue to apply public pressure on the Berejiklian Government to abandon future privatisation of public transport services.
In this Issue Industrial News When is Industrial Action Protected?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sydney And NSW Trains EA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Industrial Notes Sydney and NSW Trains Annual Leave Loading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 State Transit Award Ballot Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sydney Train Guards – Future Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Victory on Trainee Drivers Overtime Bonus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 General News Newcastle Buses in Heated Parliament Debate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Huge Crowd Demands Review of Newcastle Bus Timetable. . . 10 Bus Drivers Should be from NSW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Longer Trips for Tram Passengers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mark Thompson Receives Life Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 New Trains Too Wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Why the Rail Network Melted Down. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ACTU Seeking Casual Conversion Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 New Rail Link top Badgery’s Creek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 RTBU Holiday Park News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Campaign News Protest Rallies on Transport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fix NSW Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Whistlestop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Industrial News When is Protected Industrial Action Protected? The recent decision by Fair Work to suspend the RTBU proposed protected industrial action against NSW and Sydney Trains, only weeks after approving the protected industrial action has left many angry and others confused. The decision by Senior Deputy Commissioner Hamberger to suspend industrial action by the RTBU as the action threatened to endanger the welfare of "a large number of people in Sydney and surrounding areas who rely on the [train] services to get to work, attend school or otherwise go about their business, as well as all those who will suffer from the increased congestion on the roads". The action also "threatens to cause significant damage to the economy of Sydney – the largest and most economically important city in Australia", he said. Only weeks earlier RTBU members had voted overwhelmingly for protected industrial actions to progress their new enterprise agreement negotiations, which had stalled for many months. While the timing of the proposed industrial action was unfortunate, in that the Sydney rail network had virtually gone into meltdown earlier in January when the failed new train timetable spectacularly unravelled, after a number of incidents combined to bring the network to a grinding halt. Panicked by its own failings, the Government pulled out all stops, in the public media and then in Fair Work Australia, to prevent similar disruptions flowing from the industrial action.
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Rail workers were left angry and frustrated when the FWC agreed with the employer and government arguments that the proposed industrial action would adversely affect the NSW economy and the welfare of commuters. The simple reality here is that these factors should have been considered before approving the protected industrial action, not a few weeks later when the government is in crisis management mode. This decision leaves lingering doubt for any workers in just how confident that they can be to be able to operate within the already restrictive protected industrial action framework, and whether any threatened action, which has gone through all of the legal loopholes to be approved, can still be thrown out at the last minute at the request of employers or government. It begs the question of what action is available to workers to improve or progress a negative or stalemate negotiation process for improved wages and conditions. Clearly this is why it is necessary to change the rules. The ACTU is campaigning to Change the Rules to improve workers rights "We need to change the rules so people have the right to parttime or reduced hours, and the
right to return, when their caring responsibilities have reduced or ended." ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said She also argues for: • ending an "uncapped" temporary working visa system, which should only be used for "genuine shortages" with stronger protections against exploitation; • rebuilding funding for schools, TAFE and universities; • refusing to sign free trade deals that bypass immigration laws to allow the use of overseas workers; and • rewriting Commonwealth procurement policy to give preference to local businesses and local workers. McManus has previously argued that workers and unions should be able to bargain "where the power is", across industries and franchised employers, rather than being limited to the enterprise level. In February, she said that enterprise bargaining had "run its course", with a fall in the making of enterprise agreements and a rise in the number of workers covered by awards with content that has been severely cut back. The ACTU is pushing for a broader role for the Fair Work Commission, including the restoration of its arbitral powers in circumstances such as intractable disputes.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
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Sydney & NSW Trains – EA As the largest of the seven combined rail unions, the RTBU was involved in the bargaining process for the Sydney and NSW Trains Enterprise Agreements (EAs) since July 2017. EA negotiations: what has been achieved ?
wage increase was to be no less than 4% per year.
Firstly, it is important to note that the EA as it relates to your employment is a document distributed by management and is neither agreed nor endorsed by the RTBU. Sydney and NSW Trains chose to walk away from the negotiating table and put the offer directly to the employees. This occurred during the 6-week suspension of our protected industrial action. No doubt Sydney and NSW Trains took the opportunity to have the EAs voted upon during this period so that the RTBU (and other unions) couldn’t take protected industrial action as a part of this bargaining process.
Additionally, there are a number of clauses that were not agreed between the parties prior to Sydney and NSW Trains conducting an EA tour:
Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), Sydney and NSW Trains have the ability to do the following: • Put their document out to their employees, with or without the agreement of the RTBU or the CRU; (Combined Rail Unions). • Choose who the vote is conducted by, with or without the agreement of the RTBU or the CRU; and • Conduct a tour of employee work locations, with or without the agreement of the RTBU or the CRU. History will now show that Sydney and NSW Trains did, in fact, decide to progress with the tour and the vote without the agreement of the RTBU and other unions. Whilst most of the changes to the EA that have been made have been agreed in principle, the major outstanding issue between the parties was the wage increase. The RTBU was bound by the decision of the delegates that was made on 1st February 2018: that the minimum
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• the disciplinary matters clause (particularly concerning how employees are paid when stood down pending a disciplinary investigation),
Sydney and NSW Trains clear
It is also worth noting that there are several commitments – which will sit outside of the EAs in letters of comfort which are not legally enforceable should the promises contained therein be broken by Sydney and/or NSW Trains. Following management’s decision to conduct a tour, the RTBU decided to attend in an effort to advise members about the outstanding issues and answer any questions. During the meetings it became clear that there was a mixed view from RTBU members concerning the proposed EAs.
voted upon and
The RTBU Negotiating Committee therefore decided that members should vote based on what they individually believe. _____________________________
agreed so that the
STOP PRESS
RTBU (and other
BALLOT RESULTS
intent to have EAs
unions) couldn’t take protected industrial action... • the deed of release (as management have refused to allow the priority assessment process to be disputed) and the facilitation clause. Seeing as though the wage increase being offered was only 3% and there were a number of outstanding clauses that had not been agreed, the RTBU advised members that it could not agree with the proposed agreement/s. Simply put, the package does not reflect what the RTBU was instructed to achieve.
At Sydney Trains, 6525 employees voted on the new Agreement (9707 ballot papers were issued) and almost 52.8% voted yes. At NSW Trains, 1379 employees voted on the new Agreement (2007 ballot papers were issued) and 50.8% voted yes. Votes were counted in front of an RTBU NSW Branch scrutineer. This means that the Enterprise Agreements you voted on will become your industrial instrument, once approved by the Fair Work Commission. In the meantime, management has indicated that the 3% pay increase will be effective from the declaration of the ballot, once the agreement is approved by the FWC.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Industrial Notes Sydney and State Transit Bus Operations NSW Trains 2018 Award – Ballot Results members recently overwhelmingly voted in favour of the State Transit Bus Annual Leave STA Operations 2018 Award Of the total votes returned, members (88%) overwhelmingly voted in favour of the Award. A full copy of the Award is available for download on busexpress. Loading com.au For some time now the method of payment for Annual Leave loading has been an issue for our members, so after representation from the RTBU it was agreed by management that the leave loading would be paid out when future leave is being cleared. On the 23rd of February the Executive Director of People and Corporate Affairs, Group Rail sent out a message outlining the new arrangements. However since the change was implemented there have still been issues with some members taking annual leave and not getting their leave loading entitlement or not getting paid the full entitlement. The matter was again represented to rail management and an audit was conducted which identified circumstances where Sydney and NSW Trains employee leave loading balances are greater than their annual leave accrual. An outcome of this audit is that the affected employees will have their owed leave loading, in their next pay runs. This will ensure that when employees clear their annual leave, their leave loading entitlement will be paid when annual leave is cleared in the future. You are advised to check your pay slips and if you have concerns please contact your local delegate or the Head Office.
The Award will operate from 1 January 2018 until 31 December 2020, with a 2.5% wage increase for each year of the Award, while maintaining and protecting existing conditions.
Sydney Trains Guards: Future Operations Update
Members will recall that as part of the Future Operations project, the Working on a Book Off Day (WOBOD) payment was due to commence on 25th February 2018. Due to the need for a payroll system changeover, and as this falls in the middle of a fortnight, Sydney Trains requested that the first payment be made the following pay period. That is, the pay received during the fortnight commencing 18th March. The RTBU has negotiated a revised start date for the WOBOD. This payment will now commence from Sunday 18th February. Sydney Trains will advise on how to show this payment on your timesheets. The payment consists of an additional 48% on the day you work. This is in addition to the Excess Shift payment calculated at the end of the fortnight. However it is linked to any sick leave that may be taken within the fortnight.
Victory on Drivers Overtime Bonus for Trainee Drivers
Sydney Trains have been requiring Trainee Drivers to work ever increasing amounts of overtime in an effort to reduce the length of the Trainee Drivers course and alleviate the current driver shortage. Initially these drivers were denied payment of the Overtime Bonus due to a long held belief that Trainees were not entitled to the Overtime Bonus. Following considerable work by the RTBU Locomotive Division Sydney Trains have confirmed that Trainee Drivers are entitled to the Overtime Bonus as per clause 3.9 of the Drivers Rostering and Working Arrangements. This decision will also rectify the long standing problem of recently graduated Drivers being denied Overtime Bonus payments due to them being in training for a portion of the Overtime Bonus cycle period. We would like to encourage any recently graduated drivers or current trainees who are entitled to Overtime Bonus payments to pursue payment through their Shift Managers and Payroll Officers. Should members have any questions please contact your local delegate or the Locomotive Division at Head Office.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
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General News Newcastle Buses in Heated State Parliament Debate
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LABOR is standing by its claim that When the Newcastle Herald asked State Super Financial the state government is misleadingFormerly the government about the splitServices the public when it claims to have routes, it said: “Some services that added more than 1000 routes to the previously had very low patronage Newcastle bus system. have been reallocated to provide higher quality services that meet The privatised Keolis Downer customer demand. There are now service was the subject of heated better connections between modes, debate in state parliament recently with buses connecting with ferries, when the government used its other buses and trains.” numbers to defeat a censure motion against Transport Minister Andrew The debate followed a public Constance moved by Swansea MP meeting in Belmont last month, and Yasmin Catley. claims that internal data showed more problems with the new system During the debate, Newcastle MP than the government or Keolis Tim Crakanthorp said the extra Formerly State Super Downer were admitting. routes claim was a furphy: “If there Financial Services is one run going down to Swansea With Labor and public transport and it is chopped into three, that is advocates resorting to freedom three runs instead of one. Multiplied of information requests to learn throughout the Hunter, that might more about the Newcastle contract well come to 1000 or even more. arrangements, Mr Constance told Government members say there is parliament the Newcastle service an increase of 1000 routes. That was doing an extra 267,968 is because they have chopped and kilometres a year, with patronage up chopped and chopped.” by 5 per cent.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
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Public transport advocate Darrell Formerly State Su Harris said the extra kilometres were a very modest increase on the 5.8 million kilometres done under the old system, not including school buses. Ms Catley said after the debate that the January patronage figures quoted by Mr Constance included half a month of the old timetable, meaning any improvement could not be fully attributed to the changes. She said the government was refusing to acknowledge the degree of unhappiness with the new bus system. Mr Constance said: “Patronage is up, a review is on, and we are going to make sure that we deliver more services and more service kilometres.”
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Huge crowd demands review of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie's new bus timetable
The Newcastle Herald reported on an angry public meeting in February calling on a review of Newcastle's new bus timetables. There was a huge turnout of angry public transport users at a meeting calling for a review of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie's new bus timetable . Hundreds of furious public transport users gave full voice to their resounding message to the NSW government at a public meeting . They want transport minister Andrew Constance to conduct a thorough, transparent, consultative review of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie’s new bus timetable. The auditorium at Belmont 16s was packed to capacity for the meeting, hosted by the Hunter’s state Labor MPs, with the vocal crowd spilling out the front door of the club – some left because they couldn’t get in. It came after weeks of anger from public transport users, who said the new timetable introduced in January by private operator Keolis Downer had impacted their ability to get around. The Newcastle Herald reported that the meeting heard from several community members who told of how the new timetable had affected them. Kimberley Anderson, a mother on maternity leave with a new baby, said she had used public transport for two decades and her father was a bus driver for 25 years. Ms Anderson told the meeting of a recent bad experience she had with the new on-demand bus service. “I needed to be in Charlestown on a Wednesday for a 10am appointment,” she said.
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“I booked this service on the Sunday before, to make sure I gave them plenty of notice. I was to be picked up between 9am and 9.30am. I do not live in the on-demand service area. I had to take my son and walk 20 minutes to get into the area. “On the Wednesday, it was raining, and I arrived at the area by 9am to be sure I was there for the bus. At 9.02am I received a text message stating that my service had been cancelled. So I was waiting in the rain with my threemonth-old son for a bus that wasn’t going to show. After numerous calls… a bus finally arrived at 9.45am.” NSW Labor leader Luke Foley told the meeting he believed the situation in Newcastle was akin to a public transport service in a “third world country”. Mr Foley said the government should undertake a public and “damn urgent review”. He invited parliamentary secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald to speak. Mr MacDonald accepted, but could hardly get a word in over the top of shouting and booing from the crowd and a chant of “fix our buses”. He said he wanted to invite a Transport for NSW spokesperson to speak and answer questions at the meeting, but had not been allowed. The Herald reported Keolis Downer was prepared to send a representative if the company had been invited to be part of the meeting but it received no invitation.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Transport Minister Constance Betrays Sydney Commuters and Drivers with Bus Sell Off Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, has announced that over a third of Sydney’s public buses will be immediately handed to a private bus operator despite a huge public backlash.
The news that private operator Transit Systems will take over the running of the inner-west, Region 6 buses, comes after the massive ’Don’t Sell Our Buses’ campaign where Sydneysiders said loud and clear that they did not want their bus network sold off. Over 30,000 people signed petitions opposing the sell-off and thousands more attended public meetings and rallies. Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Tram and Bus Division Secretary, Chris Preston, said Sydney bus drivers and commuters had every right to be furious at the Minister’s betrayal. “Bus drivers were given a written guarantee that their jobs were safe in December 2016. Minister Constance tore that up. Ten of thousands of Sydney commuters have told Minister Constance they don’t want their buses sold off. He’s ignored them. I completely understand why the community is furious.” “The privatisation of Sydney’s buses will lead to fewer stops, fewer
buses and longer journeys times. That is exactly what has happened in Newcastle after the Government sold off their buses. It will certainly happen here.” “This is yet another captain’s call from the Transport Minister. Some weeks ago, it was the Ferry McFerryface saga, then the following week he’s ignoring the tens of thousands of commuters who have said they don’t want their service privatised. “We call on Minister Constance to guarantee Sydney commuters that stops will not be closed and bus services not be cancelled under a private operator.” “Minister Constance must guarantee that bus drivers working in the privatised bus system will be paid correctly for the hours they work and that an effective rostering system is in place to ensure drivers can plan their week.” “These sound like simple things, but they are conditions not achieved by the so-called world class private bus
operator in Newcastle.” “Minister Constance has trashed the rail network and is now trashing the public bus network. Time and time again he’s demonstrated he is simply not up to job and unfortunately, its Sydney commuters who are paying for his incompetence and arrogance.” “The sooner he goes, the better.” The Australian newspaper contained the following report: Constance picks a new union fight NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has picked another fight with the Rail Tram and Bus Union, announcing that a company called Transit Systems has won the right to run the city’s inner-west bus services. The government’s latest privatisation announcement was put on ice following Mr Constance’s difficulties with the union during a threatened train strike — and overtime bans — last month.
Canberra: One Tram a Week to Start Arriving from End of March Canberra’s first tram will soon be joined by the rest of the fleet as the consortium behind stage one claims it is on track to finish the project by the end of the year. Canberra Metro chief executive Glenn Stockton said one tram a week will start arriving in Canberra from the end of March, with testing on an electrified track to begin in April. In all, 14 trams will ferry up to 207 people each up and down the 12-kilometre track from Civic to Gungahlin. The first tram arrived more than a month ago but no one from Canberra Metro will be allowed inside it until the Spanish company that built it comes to Australia to commission it.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
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Bus Drivers Should be from NSW A private Sydney bus operator’s plan to ship in drivers from New Zealand has been slammed by the RTBU and NSW opposition. Young Sydneysiders could miss out on the opportunity to become bus drivers because a new private operator is targeting New Zealand workers, the state opposition says. Labor leader Luke Foley says Transit Systems – which in February won a government contract to run bus services in Sydney’s inner west – should be recruiting drivers from NSW instead of across the Tasman. “It’s a vote of no confidence in our own youth,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “They ought to be recruiting from areas such as the Hunter and Illawarra and North Coast, with chronically high youth unemployment.” Mr Foley said the move was another example of the state government sending jobs overseas, after it awarded a $2.3 billion contract to build new intercity trains in South Korea in 2016. But a Transport for NSW spokesman said Transit Systems is recruiting drivers in NSW, along with other states, for the 300 positions it needs to fill. Its outreach in New Zealand is part of a strategy to ensure it has sufficient drivers from the outset, the spokesman said, and local applicants will be preferenced. “This is a mitigation strategy and relatively few drivers are expected to be recruited from New Zealand,” the spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.
Tram and Bus Division Secretary Chris Preston said he was not surprised the state government was struggling with bus driver retention. He said it has been disrespecting the workforce, including through timetable changes that anger commuters, who then take their frustrations out on drivers. “When you drive down morale, you can expect to drive out workers,” he said in a statement . The Transport Minister needs to confirm that he will not leave the newly privatised inner-west bus service in disarray, like he did with Newcastle buses, and that Australian bus drivers will be given first priority of jobs. “It is incredibly worrying that already the private company looks to have been left hung out to dry by the Transport Minister, with so few drivers employed that they’re having to advertise overseas,” Mr Preston said. “When the Transport Minister sold off Newcastle’s bus network, he left it in tatters and it still hasn’t recovered. “We can’t afford to let the Transport Minister cut and run from region six like he did in Newcastle."
Longer Trips for Tram Passengers Without Green-Light Priority Trams on Sydney’s new $2.1 billion light rail line will need greater priority over motorists at traffic lights in the inner city if passengers are to avoid longer delays to their trips, an internal report shows. The confidential report commissioned by Transport for NSW estimates passengers will spend between seven and nine minutes waiting on the 67-metre trams at red lights along the line between the CBD and the city’s south-east during the morning and evening peaks. “The traffic signal delay results indicate that the locations of highest delays are reasonably consistent for both the AM and PM peak periods with the majority of delays encountered by light rail occurring in the southern CBD and Surry Hills,” the report said. The time that trams spend waiting at intersections for red lights to change will be one of the major causes of delays to trips.
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The tram sets on Sydney’s $2.1 billion light rail line will be 67 metres long
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
NSW’s $2 Billion New Trains are too Wide for Tunnels A new fleet of trains promises to offer greater comfort and safety. But a glaring error means they can’t even operate properly.
THE NSW Government has an embarrassing problem with $2 billion worth of new trains that are on order — they’re too wide to go through the tunnels. Whereas the current trains are 2.9m wide, the new models being built in South Korea are 20cm wider. That small difference will have a big impact. It means the new trains will collide with the tunnel walls on their way up to the world famous Blue Mountains. But Transport for NSW (TfNSW), the Government body that manages the state’s rail system, has come up with a cunning plan. It has proposed simply relaxing current safety standards. In addition, 10 tunnels built in the 1900s will be partially modified to allow the new trains to run. State opposition leader Luke Foley has said the government needs to show how they will guarantee passenger safety when the new trains are introduced from 2019. “It takes a special type of incompetence to buy trains that don’t fit through the tunnels,” Mr Foley said.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Transport bosses have insisted the trains will operate safely but conceded that, in places, rules will have to be broken. “There are parts of the network where it is not possible to fully comply with the modern standards due to physical constraints and in these circumstances, additional measures such as speed restrictions, varied track maintenance and timetabling are implemented to ensure safety,” a TfNSW spokesman said. It’s not the first time regional trains have caused pain. In early 2016, many of Victoria’s V-Line trains were withdrawn from service after some failed to trigger boom gates at level crossings. Regional train services around Sydney, branded as Intercity, are operated by a mixture of trains. The oldest of these, called V-sets, date from the 1970s and ’80s and operate on the Blue Mountains line. Along with XPT longer distance trains, Vsets are narrower than more modern rolling stock and are the only ones allowed through the 10 tunnels on the route.
In service for four decades, the now geriatric trains need replacing. The 512 new carriages, which will cost $2.3 billion to build, will have mobile phone charging points, accessible toilets and more space for bike racks and luggage. But they are also 3.1m wide, around 20cm broader than the V-sets. TfNSW sets out a “kinematic envelope”, the minimum clearance around trains, which takes into account how much carriages can sway and tilt. This envelope demands a 200mm distance between the carriage and any tunnel walls or line side equipment. But the new trains’ extra bulk will infringe these minimum distances and could see the roof and base of the trains come into contact with the tunnel walls. In a Review of Environmental Factors report, TfNSW said widening all of the tunnels and realigning the track was prohibitively expensive but doing nothing was also not an option. Instead, they recommended a “sub-medium electric standard” which will essentially see the current regulations watered down so the wider trains can operate. “This option would allow the New Intercity Fleet to operate on both lines and pass each other, and therefore ensure better longer term operational outcomes, while also minimising heritage impacts through reduced tunnel lining
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modifications,” the report states. In addition, the tunnels would also be “notched” in places. This involves gouging a chunk out of the existing tunnel where the clearance is narrowest to allow the new trains the pass through. This gouge could be almost 13cm deep, much of which will take place on curves where trains are more prone to swaying. Around a third of the total length of the tunnels will have to be modified in a process that could take two years and will involve parts of the line to be closed for periods. Labor has said the admission that 10 tunnels will have to be modified because the new trains are too wide is an embarrassment for Transport Minister Andrew Constance. He has had a torrid few months with a new timetable causing chaos, bruising encounters with unions and the Ferry McFerryface debacle over the botched naming of a new boat.
“Andrew Constance’s ministerial performance is a joke, but this latest bungle is no laughing matter,” said Mr Foley. “People are right to be suspicious that Constance is going to change the safety standard to fix his bungle.” Mr Foley said the Government should reveal the cost of the work needed to modify the tunnels and whether trains will have to slow down to get through them. The cost of the tunnel modifications will be in addition to the $2.3 billion cost of the new trains. TfNSW would not reveal to news. com.au the cost of the works. Nor did it deny trains might have to slow down when entering the tunnels. “We always knew work would be necessary to deliver new trains for Intercity customers on physically constrained parts of the rail network,” a spokesman said.
Parts of our network are over 150 years old and upgrades are necessary to ensure it can accommodate the requirements of modern trains that will benefit our customers.” In Fairfax Media, Mr Constance was quoted as saying parts of the Blue Mountains route were 150 years old and needed an upgrade. “I can’t understand why Luke Foley and the Labor Party don’t want a modern track and train upgrade for the people of the Blue Mountains,” he said. In its report, TfNSW said the more modern tracks used on the line means trains are “typically more stable” so should tilt less. The Government body said notching wasn’t new, and the tunnels had to be modified in the 1970s to accommodate the Vsets which were wider than the trains they replaced.
When Turnbull attacks unions, working people are the victims
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Authorised by S. McManus, ACTU Secretary, 365 Queen St, Melbourne 3000. ACTU D No. 130/2017
australianunions.org.au/join
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RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Why The Rail Network Melted Down Joint Review on Network Recovery from Major Incidents Following incidents on 8th and 9th January 2018, the Transport Minister requested Transport for NSW and Sydney Trains to conduct a joint review on how the network can recover from major incidents with cumulative impact. The RTBU were invited to provide our input into the review. A new timetable was introduced in November 2017 resulting in an increase of 1,500 weekly services. As was widely reported in the media, on 8th and 9th January train services experienced widespread delays and cancellations that caused major disruptions, platform crowding and longer journey times than normal. The report concluded that these arose ‘from a rare combination of causes’. On 8 January • Train delayed leaving Parramatta due to crew availability • A minor infrastructure failure • A train mechanical issue • A sick passenger delaying services, and • A freight train incident Result – widespread disruption to services, with only 60.8% of services meeting punctuality target On 9 January – further disruptions • Separate lightning strikes early morning affecting power supplies for signals infrastructure in 4 locations • Also a power supply failure to Penrith Resulting in an overall 32.4% of services punctual during the day The Joint Review identified the historical mess of the evolution of Sydney’s rail network, with the lines in the network referred to as ‘tangled’ with numerous conflicts and interactions between each line, with multiple branches, crossovers and junctions. Therefore, incidents have a cumulative and flow on effect across multiple lines. The attempts at sectorisation over the past decade have attempted to minimise ‘tangling’ by isolation incidents in each sector The latest of the sectorisation efforts was the 2017 timetable, with focus on the critical western corridor Further investment infrastructure need As with any new timetable that will increase services – the 2017 timetable – necessarily involved a
requirement for substantially more shifts to operate new services – the business tools and protocols used to underpin planning and managing crewing and scheduling now need to be revised and further developed. Further, the number of locations and frequency of crews changing between trains was increased by 14%. Train crew changeover locations increased from 15 to 19, meaning crew are more dispersed. Additionally, the time allocated for crew to walk between trains was shortened from 10 minutes to between 5 and 7 minutes. Also on 8 and 9 January: • The incidents triggered a number of missed train connections by crew • The need for additional crew to relieve crew scheduled to work their normal day off on New Years eve, which fell on a Sunday, increasing levels of leave • The requirements of the Hornsby Junction shutdown, which meant additional drivers were required to support the special timetable for the works, and for training to familiarise crew with new junction layout Conclusions: •C rewing provisions were inadequate •N eed some reserve crewing capacity • Adjustments need to be made to reallocating crew resources from low patronage services to provide extra capacity, in consultation with unions • ‘it would be prudent to accelerate recruitment to accommodate the more intensive labour requirements necessary for recovery from major or cumulative incidents’ • need to offset ongoing targeted recruiting from rail operators in Queensland and Victoria – offering higher rates of pay During these incidents (and more generally since the new timetable has been implemented) frontline staff and their leaders have worked under demanding circumstances to do their best to deliver services to customers. Their efforts have mitigated the potential impacts of the underlying issues identified in this report.
planning and managing crewing and scheduling now need to be revised...
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
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ACTU Seeking Universal Casual Conversion Rights for Digital Age depend on the policy choices that are made, which "in turn depends on the power balance between labour and capital and the potential for workers to influence policy choices". Changes are needed to provide security to workers as the "digital revolution" or "fourth industrial revolution" provides the prospect of "the radical transformation or elimination of a significant proportion of existing vocations". It also threatens "a decline in job quality, and the further loss of the security and rights of traditional employment through the rise of non-standard work arrangements, including virtual jobs, speculative jobs, crowd working and the 'sharing economy", it says. "Unmanaged, the digital revolution is likely to exacerbate Australia's current insecure work crisis and existing inequalities, with the most impact on middle to low paid jobs that are not professional, technical or creative, and to especially impact women in intermediary roles and workers living outside inner urban areas." However, "if managed properly, new technologies and new ways of organising work have great potential to reduce rather than exacerbate inequality", the ACTU says. "The union movement believes the future of work is what we make it. "If we leave things to the 'free market' and the interests of business, that future will be bleak for many, but with strong institutions, reform of the industrial relations system, support from government and a prominent role for unions and civil society, we can co-manage technological change towards a future that benefits us all."
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The ACTU is pushing for workers to be cushioned from the shocks of digitally-driven workplace change by introducing an automatic right for casuals to convert to permanent employment, new measures to revitalise collective bargaining, portable entitlements and increased transitional assistance for those who are displaced. In its submission to the Senate inquiry into the future of work and workers, the peak body says the conversion clauses in some agreements have limited effectiveness and that it wants a guarantee that casuals "will be automatically granted the right to convert to regular employee status", after working for a prescribed period. The ACTU says it is "essential to limit casual employment to very exceptional circumstances that are of a temporary nature", saying that such arrangements are "largely confined" to poor developing countries. It is also pushing to: • change the Fair Work Act to strengthen collective bargaining, with enterprise agreements now covering just 11% of private sector workers, which it says is down from 20% a decade ago and has increased the proportion of those dependent on the minimum conditions in awards; • introduce portable entitlements schemes for long service leave and other benefits to address the insecurity it says is faced by non-permanent workers; and • reform the welfare system for those displaced by technological change, including a big increase in the "appallingly low" support for the unemployed through the Newstart allowance that pays a "paltry" 28% of average weekly ordinary time earnings. The ACTU says the distribution of benefits between workers and capital as the world of work changes will
UN
ION
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
New Rail Links to Badgerys Creek Airport to be Signature Projects A plan to build a rail link to Sydney's second airport is expected to be unveiled when the Turnbull government releases its much trumpeted "city deal" for the west. With marginal electorates in western Sydney pivotal to the outcome of the next state and federal elections, the Turnbull and Berejiklian governments will rely on their transport plans to help gain political momentum in a key electoral battleground. Among the signature transport projects expected to be unveiled is an extension of the South West Rail link from Leppington to Sydney's new airport at Badgerys Creek. The cost of extending the rail line via Bringelly has been estimated at between $1 billion and $3 billion. A Sydney Morning Herald report has stated that the more ambitious plan is anticipated to be a new heavy rail line built in three stages between Sydney's north-west and Campbelltown in the south via Western Sydney Airport and St Marys. The first stage of the north-south line is expected to run from the new airport to St Marys, where it would link to the existing T1 Western Line. Estimated at more than $30 billion, a north-south train line would be significantly more expensive and a longer term project than an extension of the South West Rail Link. The latter has been on the drawing board since 1994 and long considered the most likely first option for a train connection to the $5 billion-plus airport. The quickest that trains could run along an extended line from the airport to Sydney's CBD would be
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
about 50 minutes. Transport planners doubt the rail links will be built by the time the airport is due to open in 2026, but expect their eventual construction to be funded partly by a "value capture" model whereby levies are imposed on developments close to stations. There are about four alignments that a train line from Leppington station to the site of the airport at Badgerys Creek could take. The preferred route is unlikely to be made public in order to avoid property speculation limiting the ability of the state to capture value and funnelling money raised into the projects. Connecting the west Planners and investors will be eager to hear about the estimated cost, funding and timeline for construction of the rail projects when federal Cities Minister Paul Fletcher and NSW Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres releases the "city deal". "Everybody is wanting to see whether it is a loan facility [for the projects] or
a grant from the feds," a transport planner said. Attention will be on preserving corridors for the new rail lines, and firm timelines for when they would be built in order to give businesses certainty to invest. Mr Fletcher has said the arguments in favour of a north-south rail link via Badgerys Creek are stronger than an eastwest line from the new airport to Parramatta because of the former's "city-shaping potential". He has also made clear that the case for a train line to Badgerys Creek cannot be made on the basis of passenger traffic from the airport alone. In a recent speech he said the "city deal" for western Sydney was based around the new airport as "a catalyst for economic growth and activity in the region". A spokeswoman for Mr Fletcher declined to comment on what rail plans would be included in the "city deal" but said a scoping study into the rail needs of western Sydney and the new airport had been handed to the state and federal governments. The "deals" for western Sydney and other cities such as Hobart and Darwin are based on an idea applied in Manchester and Aberdeen in the UK, and aimed at marshalling local, state and federal governments to work with businesses to trigger jobs and investment. Federal Cities Minister Paul Fletcher is expected to unveil a long-awaited 'city deal' for western Sydney.
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Mark Thompson Receives Life Membership
Branch Secretary Alex Claassens presenting Mark Thompson with his RTBU Life Membership At the March 2018 RTBU Branch Council, long time RTBU activist and representative Mark Thompson received Life Membership of the RTBU in acknowledgement of his years of dedication to the union. Mark joined the ARU (Australian Railways Union) in July 1978. He went to Hornsby in 1987 as 2nd Class Assistant Station Master, and several months later became actively involved in the union, first spending a day in the union office taking members telephone enquiries.
Mark was elected on to the Committee of The “Salaried Division” in 1991 and remained there in various positions (including Vice President and President of the Division) until redundancy in October 2016. Mark also served on the Branch Executive, Branch Council and National Council for a number of years During that time Mark was also involved as a job delegate, became one of the Chairpersons on the “Transport Appeals Board” and a member of the board until it disbanded in 2010.
Get on the BUS EXPRESS! Bus Express is constantly updated with new information from around the depots – including workplace disputes, industry updates and news about RTBU Members. Members who subscribe to the web site get a fortnightly email with links to all the latest scoops. Printed newsletters will also be distributed around depots.
www.busexpress.com.au Page 18
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Blunders on Double Decker Buses
(2) Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW Branch - Home
9
The Daily Telegraph has reported that bus drivers are complaining that the new $500 million northern beaches double-decker services are proving inferior to their older bendy counterparts, with the two-tier design taking longer to load and unload passengers, leading to delays. The new B-Line buses were brought into service amid the biggest shake-up of NSW bus timetables since the Olympics. “Not only do the doubledecker buses fail to adequately increase passenger numbers, but they also take longer to load and unload passengers, meaning increased running times,” Tram and Bus Secretary Chris Preston said. “Their height also means they won’t be able to run on many
of the backstreets in the northern beaches area, should they need to in the future. “We’ve said from the beginning that these double-decker buses are an inferior option compared to bendy buses, which actually carry more passengers. The NSW Minister for Transport, Andrew Constance didn’t think this through at all.”
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On the Campaign Trail Protest Rallies on Transport The Blue Mountains Gazette reported that Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle joined about 1000 other protestors at a rally to “Fix NSW Transport”.
About a dozen Blue Mountains union members and a contingent of ten anti-airport activists from the group RAWSA [Residents Against Western Sydney Airport] marched alongside the Labor MP and RTBU Secretary Alex Claassens. They rallied together at Hyde Park, protesting about bus privatisation, public transport failures, WestConnex and toll road “scams” and “trains that don’t fit the tracks”. Ms Doyle said she was heartened by the broad spectrum of rally participants. “From unions and environmental groups based in Sydney through to Newcastle, Illawarra and Blue Mountains, residents [are] concerned about the growing laundry list of failed or failing projects across NSW … [and] people are beginning to realise that this government does not have the best interests of the community at heart. “Premier Berejiklian and her Transport Minister Andrew Constance are both privatisation ideologues, so
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public transport and the health of our cities and towns falls a distant second to private profit in the minds of the Liberals.” RAWSA spokesman Peter Dollin said the rally reflected the growing public discontent with the state government’s “lack of ability to plan for an integrated mass transit system for Sydney”. “All they can deliver are toll roads, bottlenecks the impact of which will be massively exacerbated by their support for a second Sydney airport that has no rail link.” Blaxland-based Mary Court, who is also the secretary of Penrith Valley Community Unions, told the ABC that private toll road building was “sucking billions out of public transport”. She called the new M4 road toll “highway robbery”. "The M4 was already paid off in 2014," she said. Secretary of the Rail Tram and Bus Union Alex Claassens “a frustrated transport worker” told the rally
“when [Transport Minister Andrew] Constance introduced an ill-conceived timetable on our train network – without consulting the workers that had to deliver it – we said it would fail. And fail it did”. Protesters put the blame on Premier Gladys Berejikilian who defended road expansion projects like WestConnex – the 33 kilometre mainly underground motorway currently under construction to connect Sydney’s west to the city. “Why would you even think of putting off a project which reduces congestion? It just doesn’t make sense,” Ms Berejiklian told media. Ms Doyle said the message from Saturday’s rally “was crystal clear for those politicians who showed up and participated”. “The community wants a renewed investment in public transport instead of more toll roads and they want public services and public assets to remain in public hands.”
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Fix NSW Transport
Approximately 1,000 - 1,500 people from a diverse range of action groups action groups have joined forces and protested through Sydney CBD calling for the Government to fix NSW roads and transport. United in their anger, unions and local community groups mobilised to protest against ongoing problems with the rail system, the privatisation of buses and the Government's major projects like the Sydney Metro, WestConnex, the F6 toll road and the Western Harbour Tunnel. As the rally wound its way through the streets and entered Martin Place, protestors were asked to bunch up, just as they would on an overcrowded train. RTBU Secretary Alex Claassens addressed the crowd, outlining the many failings of the Transport Minister and NSW Government on a range of transport issues. His speech highlighted how transport workers have been forced to work a faulty system under increasingly difficult conditions. Mr Claassens said: “I stand here today as a proud union leader representing thousands of public transport workers in NSW – many of them are with us today. But I am also standing here with you as a passionate member of the community and a frustrated transport worker, where lately we haven’t been able to provide you the transport service that we all need and deserve.” “During this governments term, jobs have been axed
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
from every corner of our transport system - from ticket sellers, to customer service attendants, security staff, and cleaners, and they have refused to employ more personnel where we need them to run the day to day service, all this despite the system being stretched to breaking point.” Mr Claassens reaffirmed the commitment of dedicated transport workers to ensure the system works as well as it can. “For many of us that work in transport – it is more than a job – it’s our life. No one wants to see our transport system work more than we do, so throughout all the jobs cuts and attacks on the quality of service, we’ve continued to do whatever it takes to keep the system moving. But you can’t do that for ever, we’ve been saying for a long time now that if you stretch a system too far, it will snap.” “NSW deserves a world-class system; at the moment we’ve been dished up a lemon. NSW deserves better; the workers who dedicate their lives to keeping the system running deserve better; as commuters we all deserve better.” Mr Claassens said Mary Court, secretary of Penrith Valley Community Unions, said private toll road building is "sucking billions" out of public transport and warned Premier Gladys Berejiklian not to "mess with the west'. "Shame, Gladys, shame," she said.
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Whistlestop Dave Adams Send Off After nearly 49 years Lithgow driver Dave "Gomez" Adams calls it quits. Dave started on the railway on the 14 May 1969 and other than a small time away from the job in the early nineties and spent his career in Lithgow and retired on the 9th December 2017. A send off was held on the 13th January 2018 in Lithgow. Dave with his wife Kay, his children and his grand children, were joined by work mates past and present, RTBU representatives and to show how well regarded he is across the work place members of PN management were also in attendance. Dave drove his last train with his son Col (also a driver in Lithgow) and was presented with a framed picture commemorating the occasion by the depot. He was also presented a miniature electric staff (a Lithgow tradition) on it the number his years of service and the stations his start and finish depots which in Daves case was Lithgow to Lithgow. Alex Claassens a former work mate who worked with Dave at his time at Lithgow depot presented
him with his RTBU plaque recognising his many years of membership of the union during his career. It was a great night full of stories and emotion and Dave will be missed at work but we’re sure he'll be around at social functions and will also be happy to catch up for a beer or two anytime.
VALE Keith Craig On Friday evening, 10 November 2017, engineman on heritage trains. After his longtime volunteer and engineman retirement, he always came down to Keith Craig sadly passed away. Thirlmere to do a variety of Loop Line jobs. Right up until his passing, Keith Keith's railway career commenced would always put his hand up for the in August 1954 as a Junior Station humblest of shifts. Assistant in the Newcastle area. In September 1955, he gained an From being available at short notice appointment at Broadmeadow to help out with a quick shunt before locomotive depot as a Trainee a massive tour, through to being Engineman. From there, he progressed available for a big Day out with to Fireman in 1960, before moving to Thomas weekend, Keith was there on Sydney and taking up his appointment the footplate. He was known for his as Driver on suburban electric trains at Driver Keith Craig (right) and his perfectionist operating skills. His fellow Mortdale (‘Electric Train Running’ or mate Alex Claassens stand in front of crew members like to tell me how he ETR in the old language). In 1973, he the ‘Green Engine’ during a Thomas would master the art of 'putting on three transferred to Punchbowl Car Sheds. fires' on the uphill between Thirlmere Day at Thirlmere Keith then transferred to South Grafton and Buxton. This would enable for easy depot in 1975 working locomotivehauled trains. While working on the return trip. He would always turn up early, at South Grafton, Keith took his appointment as a Class prepare his rostered engine until he saw fit. Keith also 4 driver on the locomotive-hauled services. In 1979, he went out of his way to mentor the next generation within returned to Sydney to work assorted passenger and freight the steam ranks, making sure they knew what he knew. trains out of Eveleigh depot. This is where Keith would Keith was also keen to stay back and make sure the job experience the twilight and variety of regional locomotivewas done properly, as well as having a good old fashion hauled express services, local shunt jobs within Darling 'gas-bag' along the way. Harbour and Sydney Yard, to CPHs and railcar sets and Transport Heritage NSW, the volunteers and staff extend interurban workings. Keith finished his railway career as a their condolences and thoughts to his wife Janice and his CityRail driver at Penrith, where he retired in 1997. family. Keith will surely be missed. From the 1980s until recently, Keith was well-known as Information extracted from an article from Transport Heritage an engineman on the Thirlmere Heritage Railway and NSW. during his government railway career, Keith was a regular
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RAIL & ROAD March 2018
NEWS Improvements at the Park A number of substantial works have been completed to improve safety and appearance at the Holiday Park. These include re-wiring and replacing main power boxes, and completing installation of LED lighting in public areas such as BBQ and amenities block. Work on replacing deteriorating and damaged timberwork around cabins has been completed on all cabins, with some painting of the same to be completed as bookings permit. Plumbing work has also been carried out on a number of cabin hot water systems – to replace pipes and install tempering valves, to regulate temperatures in accordance with Australian standards. While there is additional maintenance work to be carried out over time, the completion of these works at least ensures a level of safety and functionality in these areas into the future.
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
With the warm summer weather continuing well into Autumn, members and family and friends are continuing to enjoy the relaxation, swimming and fishing coming into the school holiday period. Patronage at the Holiday Park continues at a healthy rate, with occupancy rate for the first quarter of 2018 averaging approximately 69% . The Holiday Park facebook page also remains popular and regularly used, with just over 400 likes. Follow what is happening at the Holiday Park and encourage family and friends to
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We’ve got your back Proudly supporting the NSW Branch of Rail, Tram and Bus Union and their members.
RTBU Members are entitled to a free, initial consultation and discounted rates when referred by their union.
GET IN TOUCH Contact the RTBU on 02 9264 2511 for a referral to Slater and Gordon Lawyers
RTBU Holiday Park at Jervis Bay RTBU Members can also take advantage of the United Services Union’s Aquatic Resort at Port Macquarie The RTBU and USU have a reciprocal arrangement where members of each union can book holidays at the two locations, at member discounted rates. The USU owns the Aquatic holiday resort, in a glorious location on the Hastings River at Port Macquarie on the north coast of New South Wales. The resort consists of a Motel and a Caravan Park. Stay in comfort at the holiday resort and enjoy great discounts and great style while relaxing in what many say is the best climate in Australia. No matter what type of holiday you are after your needs are covered. Lots to do any time of the year! There are a lot of attractions in the area for you and your family – have a great game of Putt-Putt golf or try Jet boating, Parra Sailing, Waterslides, Wave Bowling & Lawn Bowls which are all within walking distance. And don’t forget the fishing!Please note – there are no tent sites at the Port Macquarie Caravan Park. You can contact the motel or caravan park by calling the Comfort Inn Aquatic Motel on 02 6583 7388 or the Aquatic Palms Caravan Park on 02 6584 9155 or check the website at www.aquaticinport.com.au You can also call the United Services Union’s Head Office on 02 9265 8211 for more information. Members must provide proof of identity plus their RTBU membership card at the time of arrival at Jervis Bay or Port Macquarie United Services Union or full rates will apply.
Located in the Booderee National Park, the RTBU Holiday Park at Jervis Bay, is just a 3 hour drive south from Sydney, but a world away… Each of the 14 self-contained cabins sleep up to a maximum of 6 people. Cabins have a queen sized bed, two single beds and a set of double bunks. You will need to bring your own sheets as only mattress protectors, quilts and pillows are supplied. The cabins contain a digital television, an oven, microwave, fridge, crockery, cutlery, glassware, pots and pans as well as basic cooking utensils. Make sure you come prepared as the closest grocery shop is in Vincentia, a 30 minute drive away. The RTBU Holiday Park facilities available to all guests include a Boat Ramp, Undercover Bar-B-Q area with seating, Tennis Court and a Coin Operated Laundry. There are various swimming spots to enjoy and natural areas to explore, suitable for all the family. Kangaroos, possums, wallabies, kookaburras, bandicoots, echidnas and rosellas visit the grounds of the Holiday Park daily. Enjoy fishing for whiting, flathead and bream from the calm shores or take a quick walk to experience beach fishing for tailor and salmon on the pristine Bherwerre Beach. Bookings can be made by telephoning the RTBU Office on (02) 9264 2511.
Booderee National Park & Bherwerre Beach
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RAIL & ROAD March 2018
In the Dhurga language, Booderee means “Bay of Plenty” and the area is the home to the people of Wreck Bay. The Booderee National Park has the only Aboriginal owned Botanic Garden in Australia. The gardens are well known for providing a centre for interpreting plants used by the local aboriginal people. The Park is also home to 200 species of birds, over 30 different native mammals including 10 species of bats, 37 reptiles, 17 amphibians and at least 180 species of fish. The White-Bellied Sea Eagle is a special bird at Booderee as it is the guardian of the Koori people of Wreck Bay and features on the Booderee National Park logo. Within the Booderee National Park you will find beautiful white sandy beaches at Green Patch, Murrays, Steamers, Caves and Bherwerre. Bherwerre is home to some of the Boderee National Parks rarer seabirds. Pods of bottle-nose dolphins are often spotted playing in the waves at the Sussex Inlet Entrance and Humpback whales have been known to enter the protected areas close to shore.
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Buy Your Piece of Union History Limited numbers of the commemorative badge of the 1917 Great Strike are available for purchase from the RTBU office for $10.
1917 Great Strike CDs available at cost price! Celebrate the stories and songs from one of Australia’s greatest class stuggles with a copy of the 1917 Great Strike Centenary CD! We’ve purchased 50 Great Strike CDs which we’re offering to members at cost price ($20.00 each). Get your copy at the RTBU Pitt St reception desk!
Have You Left the Industry? Retired? If you have left the industry, permanently or for a period, have retired, or are off work due to illness, you must resign, or suspend your union membership, in writing. Our union rules provide that members leaving the union for whatever reason, must do so in writing. If you do not resign in writing, you will continue to be included on our union membership and liable for the dues owing for that time. Please note: Regardless of whether your union dues were paid by direct debit or through payroll deductions, the employer is not authorised to change your membership details after resignation or leaving the union. You must do this personally.
Please contact the membership office at the union on 02 9264 2511 for more information. Page 28
RAIL & ROAD March 2018
Join the RTBU Retired Members Association Many retired members continue to receive copies of the journal Rail & Road, and take an interest in the life of the union. Many have also said that they would like to maintain a closer connection and involvement with the work of the union. The RTBU Retired Members Association was established to provide a forum for former members to meet, work on campaigns, address issues of particular relevance for retirees and to identify ways of assisting, supporting and contributing to the work of the union. It is expected that the Retired Members Association will function independently and pursue issues that it identifies as priorities. If you are a retired member of our union, we would like you to consider joining the Retired Members Association. Membership forms are available from the RTBU Head Office, Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney or on the union website: www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au
For more information, contact Peter O’Connor at the union office on (02) 9264 2511 For more information, contact Don McKechnie on 0409 813 643 or the union office on (02) 9264 2511
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raIL & rOaD June 2010
RTBU Express Website
www.rtbuexpress.com.au RAIL & ROAD March 2018
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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM Surname
Given Name(s)
Gender Male Female
Street Address
Suburb
Post Code
Home Telephone Number
Work Telephone Number
Date Of Birth
Mobile Number
Email (work) Email (home)
Employer
Employee Number
Date Commenced
Occupation: Eg Train Driver
Work Location/Depot
Employment Status Fulltime
Part time
Casual
the undersigned, hereby apply to become a member of the I, Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, an Organisation of employees registered under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 as amended, and hereby undertake to comply with the Rules and By-Laws for the time being of the Union. Signature of Applicant
Dated
I, the undersigned, hereby apply to become a member of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union of New South Wales, an Organisation registered under the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) as amended, and hereby undertake to comply with the Rules and By-Laws for the time being of the Union. Signature of Applicant
Dated
via DIRECT DEBIT fortnightly OR 1. I agree to pay $ CREDIT CARD fortnightly. or any other amounts as may be determined from time to time in accordance with the Rules of the Union. I certify that I have received a copy of Rule 14, Notification of Resignation From Membership. 2. I/We authorise and request the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, until further notice in writing to arrange for my/ our account described in this direct debit authority, to be debited with any amounts which the debit user may properly debit or charge me/us through the direct debit system. 3. I/We authorise my employer to notify the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union of any change of address during my employment. 4. I/We authorise and request this direct debit authority to remain in force until cancelled, deferred or otherwise altered in accordance with this service agreement. Signature of Applicant
Dated
DETAILS OF THE ACCOUNT TO BE DEBITED
Account Name OR Name on Credit Card Financial Institution Branch
Date of next pay
IMPORTANT Members need to specify the date of their next pay so that when the membership fee debit occurs on a Friday there is sufficient money in the account to ensure the transaction is not dishonoured which results in you then being charged an additional fee by your bank.
Bank/State Branch No. (BSB)
Card Type
Account No./If Credit Union Membership No.
MasterCard
Visa
Expiry Date
/
Credit Card Number
SUBMIT
Please Email your completed form to nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au by using the submit button Post: Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 or Fax: 02 9261 1342 • Tel: 02 9264 2511
IMPORTANT PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR REFERENCE
4. A notice delivered to the Branch Secretary shall be deemed to have been received by when it was delivered.
RESIGNATION FROM MEMBERSHIP
5. A notice of resignation that has been received by the Union is not invalid because it was not addressed and delivered the Branch Secretary.
2. A notice of resignation from membership of the Union takes effect:– (a) where the member ceases to be eligible to become or remain a member of the Union (i) on the day on which the notice is received by the Union or (ii) on the day specified in the notice, which is a day not earlier than the day when the member ceases to be eligible to become a member, whichever is later; or (b) In any other case:– (i) at the end of two weeks; or (ii) on the day specified in the notice: whichever is later. 3. Any subscriptions, fees, fines and levies owing but not paid by a former member of the Union in relation to a period before the member’s resignation took effect, may be sued for and recovered in the name of the Union in a Court of competent jurisdiction, as a debt due to the Union.
What happens if I get pregnant, sick for an extended period or take leave without pay? If you are on unpaid maternity leave, sick or are off work for a substantial period of time you can seek to have your membership fees suspended until you return to work by giving written notice addressed and delivered to the Secretary of his/her Branch under Clause 11 (8): (8) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Rule, should any member during any financial year be without pay owing to ill health or to other causes which a Branch Executive regards as warranting special consideration, then the Branch Executive may grant the member exemption from payment of all or any contributions imposed in accordance with the Rules for all or part of the period during which he/ she is without pay. During the period of the exemption, the member shall be deemed to be financial.
The Rail, Tram & Bus Union is bound by the Privacy Act and your information can only used for RTBU processes and cannot be used for any other purposes.
AM AND
BU S
Level 4, 321 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000
TR L
1. A member may resign from membership of the Union by written notice addressed and delivered to the Secretary of his/her Branch.
6. Resignation from membership of the Union is valid even if it is not affected in accordance with this Rule, if the member is informed in writing by or on behalf of the Union that the resignation has been accepted.
R AI
OF THE RTBU
Tel (02) 9264 2511 Fax (02) 9264 1342 E-mail nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au Website www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au
UN
ION
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