VOLUME 112 No.2 June 2020
AND
RAILROAD THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW BRANCH OF THE RAIL, TRAM & BUS UNION
No More Broken Promises
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NSW BRANCH Head Office Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Tel (02) 92642511 Fax (02) 92611342 Email nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au Website www.rtbuexpress.com.au
Jervis Bay
Tram and Bus Division 83-89 Renwick Street Redfern NSW 2016 Tel (02) 93197277 Fax (02) 93194341 Email info@rtbu-nswbus.asn.au
Locomotive Division
RTBU Holiday Park Vacancies - Book your holiday now
The RTBU Holiday Park is a great place to escape to for a peaceful break in the National Park and a walk along the beach. Avoid the rush and the high season rates - book your holiday now. The Holiday Park is situated in a National Park and Members can enjoy a holiday by the sea and relax with fishing, tennis, boating, swimming or bushwalking. RTBU members can also now get discounted rates at the United Services Union Aquatic Resort (Motel and Caravan Park) at Port Macquarie.
For booking enquiries please telephone Head Office on
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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: unionnetwork@bigpond.com Printing - Brightset, Banksmeadow, (02) 9316 4800 Art & Design - P Design - proberson@hotmail.com - Phone 0402 032 949
Level 4, 321 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel (02) 92643400 Fax (02) 92647679 Email nswloco@rtbu-nsw.asn.au
Newcastle Office 33 Gordon Avenue, Hamilton NSW 2303 Tel (02) 4961 4311 Fax (02) 4961 4779 Email newcastle@rtbu-nsw.asn.au
Wollongong Office Level 1, 306a Crown Street, Wollongong, 2500 Tel (02) 4227 5798 Email wollongong@rtbu-nsw.asn.au
Branch Executive Secretary Alex Claassens President Joanne McCallum Assistant Secretary (Road) David Babineau Assistant Secretary (Rail) Robert Hayden
Elected Full-Time Officials Branch Secretary Alex Claassens Locomotive Divisional Secretary Robert Hayden Tram and Bus Divisional Secretary David Babineau Tram and Bus Divisional President Daniel Jaggers
Organisers
Director of Organising Campaign Director Freight Organisers
Passenger Organiser Branch Organisers
Toby Warnes Dan Scaysbrook Steve Wright Kevin Pryor Bob Newham Helen Bellette Mick Cartwright Trent Hunter Wayne Moody Grace Morgan-Cocks
Industrial Officers Legal Officer - Locomotive Sarah Scully-Leaf Communications Officer Peter O’Connor
From the Branch Secretary No sooner had the smoke cleared from the devastating bushfires earlier this year , we were into a new year with many of the same issues looming, disputes with the Government about many of its pet projects, including the expansion of the Sydney Metro, light rail and introduction of the New Intercity Fleet. The prospect of the introduction of widespread privatisation of public transport services starting with what’s left of our Public Bus system, will continue to be a focus of our energy and resources. 2020 is also the year that our Holiday Park has been closed not once but twice which has never happened in the history of our park. We had a Summer of natural disaster – with a record number of bushfires burning out of control up and down the state. Where some of our members were directly impacted by the fires, while others were occupied with firefighting efforts. The Park and the Holiday Park reopened for normal business on the 14th of January. Then on Wednesday, 25th of March the Booderee National Park made the decision to close the park in response to COVID-19 for general visitors. A State of Emergency was declared in the Jervis Bay Territory, and at the time of going to print, the RTBU Holiday Park remains closed to all visitors. The New Intercity Fleet continues to be a cause of concern at many levels. Three of the new trains have arrived, but until such time as our concerns relating to the safety issues on the NIF are adequately addressed, including guards being able to properly monitor passengers getting on and off the trains, we have told the Government that we will not crew the new trains. The current train design means that guards can’t open their door to see or hear passengers who are getting on board the train just prior to departure – the crucial moments when serious
incidents can occur. There’s about a 15 second blind spot – a 15 second period when people can fall in the gap between the train and the platform; kids can get separated from their parents; people can get caught in the doors. We will not put the safety of our members and the travelling public at risk, to satisfy the Government’s enthusiasm for their new toy that was designed to be a Driver Only Train. We are looking at every avenue at our disposal to fight this, from utilising an independent safety expert, the media, lobbying politicians, special interest passenger lobby groups, the commission, federal court and legislation. We can expect the New Intercity Fleet, and the Government’s desire to roll it out at any cost, to be a primary focus over the course of the year. The privatisation of Sydney Buses has reached a critical point as the result of continued broken election promises by the Berejiklian Government. The Tram and Bus Division, supported by the Branch and UnionsNSW have been actively engaging and building a campaign to keep the remainder of the State Transit bus services from being privatised. We have been holding depot meetings, public stalls and protests outside local MPs offices. The petition campaign has been going strong, with 22,000 signatures delivered to Parliament, to ensure that bus privatisation is a major discussion and debating point in Parliament. This campaign is a long way from over, but also showing strong signs of being a long way from being defeated. The coronavirus (COVID-19) scare started at the beginning of the year and has continually escalated since. The concerns in relation to the risks to workers such as bus and tram drivers and carriage cleaners in particular, and
the acceleration of the crisis led to a call for increased consultation with the union and a seat at the decision making table. This led to weekly briefings by TfNSW with the Combined Unions group. We then started having regular meetings with most employers to deal with issues as they arrived. As the gravity of the pandemic began to hit home, the Combined Unions group successfully achieved a comprehensive special leave scheme for all public sector workers. Although there have been some teething issues, the scheme has been received well by people who have required it. Our largest employer, Sydney Trains, agreed to weekly meetings to ensure that workers issues were dealt with quickly, and the union was kept in the loop on every decision. Some sensible principles were agreed to by all parties and discussions have been overwhelmingly positive. We embarked on a communications strategy ensuring that our members were kept up to date with what was happening across the union and of course with issues that affect them all. Each week we produced a wrap up across the Divisions. It is worth noting that during the bushfires and current COVID-19 pandemic, our members have remained on the frontline continuing to transport passengers and freight, often under very trying conditions. In particular, our members who deal directly with the public under very stressful conditions have continued to provide service of the highest quality. A special mention also to our cleaners who have maintained the healthy and safe conditions of our public transport. We should continue to acknowledge these efforts and sacrifices of our members, and be conscious of ensuring that these roles are kept at the forefront of people’s minds after these unusual circumstances have passed.
In this Issue Industrial News Government Ploughs Ahead with Bus Privatisation. . . . . . . . . . . 4 Infrastructure Members Sydney Trains Pay Review. . . . . . . . . . . 6 RTBU Guide to the New Intercity Fleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Industrial Notes Full Steam Ahead with Overtime Meal Allowance Claim. . . . . . . 7 Momentum Members Repaid Money Owed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 NIF Pay and Conditions Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Transdev EA Achieves Better Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 NIF – In-Cab Cameras Dispute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 General News A Summary of COVID Measures Around the Industry . . . . . . . . . 9 Community Backs Bus Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NSW Government Broken Promises to Travelling Public. . . . . . VALE Unionist and Green Bans Leader Jack Mundey. . . . . . . . . Trainwreck at Carriageworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transport Workers at the Frontline of COVID 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of RTBU Financial Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Campaign News Keep Our Buses Public. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Safety Matters Inaugural National PN HSR Conference a Huge Success . . . . . Transport Workers Welcome Fines for Despicable Attacks on Frontline Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coffee Visits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whistlestop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Industrial News NSW Govt ploughs ahead with bus privatisation under cover of COVID-19 Bus stops to close; services to cut; jobs at risk The NSW Government’s announcement in May that it is ploughing ahead with its privatisation plans for Sydney’s buses is a slap in the face for commuters and frontline transport workers who have been putting themselves – and their families – in harm’s way during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NSW Government has announced the tender process for buses in regions 7, 8 and 9 – the last remaining stateowned bus services. The regions cover the areas such as the Northern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs and Ryde/ Willoughby areas. RTBU Tram and Bus Division Secretary, David Babineau, said the privatisation of our bus services will mean commuters would be faced with cuts to their local bus services and transport workers will face attacks to their jobs.
“This is an outrageous attack on frontline workers and commuters,” Mr Babineau said. “Unless this decision is reversed, commuters are going to emerge from the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic to find their local bus services and stops are on the chopping block. “Privatising our bus services is a terrible idea at the best of times. To do it under the cover of the current global pandemic is disgraceful. “This isn’t over yet. We will continue to fight this until the paperwork is signed, which is a long way off yet. “The Premier and Transport Minister have been at pains to stress what a fantastic job our frontline workers, like bus drivers, have been doing lately under the pressure of the COVID-19 crisis, yet here they are actively taking steps to attack their jobs.
“For the Premier to do this to workers and commuters in her own electorate and across Sydney is disgraceful. “These essential service workers have been putting themselves and their families in harm’s way in order to keep Sydney moving. Now, they’re finding out that as thanks for all their hard work, the NSW Government is attacking their jobs and the services our commuter rely upon. “The NSW Government will attempt to spin this by using words like ‘franchising’ and claims that measures have been put in place to protect jobs. That’s absolute rubbish. Jobs are at risk and services will be cut. We’ve seen it in the inner-west and in Newcastle where this government has already pushed through its unpopular and unsuccessful privatisation plans. “The Premier needs to step in and reverse this decision immediately.”
Backpay Win at Metro Trains Sydney In April, RTBU activists at Metro Trains discovered that management were not paying CJC-Ts for the hours they’d worked in the months of March and April. Many members were working many hours of overtime in good faith to ensure the network was running safe and efficiently for all passengers during the COVID-19 crisis. The additional hours worked meant extra workload pressures, long unsociable shifts, and missing out on precious time spent away from loved ones. The issue was immediately raised with management and after some discussion they agreed that all CJC-Ts who were not paid for the additional hours worked would be back-paid in a special payment on 17 April 2020. In addition, MTS agreed that any future additional hours worked by any employee will be paid in that pay cycle so long as members submit their timesheets on time.
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We congratulate the union activists who shone a light on this issue and together we were able to achieve an outcome where you are compensated for the hours you have worked. Amongst everything going on at the moment, things like this really show the importance of banding together in union to ensure that Metro Trains is held to account. Get behind your union activists and together we will get through this crisis with our heads held high. If anyone has worked additional hours and have not been paid correctly please contact our office and the RTBU will assist you with your claim. Any questions, queries, or concerns please contact your local delegate or the union office on (02) 9264 2511. If you are not an RTBU member, JOIN THE UNION TODAY! Together we are stronger!
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
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Further Workgroup Leader and Team Leader Pay Review Update Members are understandably increasingly frustrated by the drawn out dispute for Infrastructure Members at Sydney Trains. Work Group Leaders and Team Leaders are currently classified and paid differently from other Team Leaders and Work Group Leaders in their workplace. The anomalies in the classification structure were raised by members in the 2018 EA negotiation, with Sydney Trains agreeing to undertake a review during the life of the agreement. This review was poorly undertaken, the Union has uncovered that not a single Team Leader or Work Group Leader was interviewed by management and we have since become aware that the review used outdated Position Descriptions and set competencies that have not been provided to the Union. To add insult to injury the result
of the so called “review” was communicated to members on an email that even Sydney Trains have admitted was inappropriate. Members were extremely dissatisfied with the outcome, and the way in which it was communicated. The Union is currently awaiting the actions proposed by management following the briefing on the 5th June 2020. Through our discussions we see little appetite to develop any progression in pay grades and attempts at delay with a suggested date of August, 2020 for the next
report back. As a member led union, we need to decide what we do next, together when it comes to the absurd result and pay review process. The roles of Work Group Leader and Team Leaders are an extremely important part of the network. There was never an intention to merely accept a negative result and walk, as we said previously, we will fight on. If you have any questions about the above, or further issues you want to discuss, please contact your local delegate or your organiser
NIF: The RTBU’s Guide to the New InterCity Fleet On November 28 NSW Trains presented to members, without any prior consultation, “Your Guide to the New InterCity Fleet”, their proposal for wages and classifications on the NIF. What we know: NSW Trains The RTBU quickly lodged a dispute Service Guard) will automatically position: with the Fair Work Commission, lose up to 20,000 – 30,000 per contesting their ability to unilaterally annum in take home pay and this In the proposed model: introduce new classifications without does not take into account the major - Drivers have been given on offer of consulting with workers and their loss in superannuation benefits. 4% to take on all of the additional Union. - To add insult to injury, NSW Trains safety responsibilities being On February 17, in the first have decided to throw in an in-cab removed from the Guards. conciliation, it became clear that NSW camera. Third parties will have - The Guards role is no longer Trains intend to push through their access to the footage the camera required on the NIF and is to be proposal and ignore the numerous takes, and members privacy will replaced entirely by the Customer safety and job security concerns put be at risk. Nationally, the RTBU Service Guard this proposed forward by our members. The Union opposes the introduction of in-cab model is the stripped back role will continue to fight this legally, and cameras. of Guards, principally from safe on the ground with our members and Remember that this is still just a working functions, including train the community. proposal as the pay and conditions are preparation and stabling One of the recommendations by in dispute and subject to a hearing in a - Drivers will be expected to manage Deputy President Sams was that the few short weeks. the Platform Train Interface without RTBU and NSW Trains to discuss NSW Trains is currently undertaking a right of way from either the station the pay proposal and give reasons for a review of the Operator Instruction staff or guards. their positions. Manuals (OIM) to be introduced in - NSW Trains wants to remove We have engaged in this process but conjunction with the arrival of the Guards from Train Crew, this are not able to clearly form a position NIF. Until the OIM meetings have effectively means the loss of without a clear understanding of how been completed and the exact role, Guards Rostering and Working the train will actually work and NSW tasks and safe working duties have Arrangements, Cab and Security Trains addressing our numerous and been agreed, the RTBU is not in any allowance, kilometerage and other significant safety concerns about their position to contemplate, or agree on entitlements. proposed model. any remuneration or classifications for the proposed roles. - The NIF proposed pay rate for Guards (know as the Customer
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Industrial Notes Full Steam Ahead With The Overtime Meal Allowance Claim
Infrastructure members from Sydney Trains have continued the fight to receive overtime meal allowances under clause 139 of the Sydney Trains Enterprise Agreement. A conciliation was held in Fair Work Australia and while the matter was not resolved through the conciliation process we will fight to support our members in their claim for unpaid entitlements. We will now progress this matter to court and we need your help. Your claim is in good hands and we need to stand together In the lead up to the court case, it is important that we gather as much information as we can from members to ensure that you are included in the claim. If you have any old documents (including pay slips, contracts, timesheets, etc.) that show that you were not paid the overtime meal allowance, or that you should have received it, please send it through to your organiser Wayne Moody wmoody@rtbunsw.asn.au. If any of your workmates are not RTBU members, now is definitely the time to sign up. They can contact their local delegate or call the union office on 02 92642511
RTBU Momentum members repaid Monies Owed A NSW RTBU Locomotive Division member identified a shortfall in payments made under the Australian Superannuation Guarantee Legislation being paid for work performed on a Public holiday with the Company being notified back in April 2017. As a result numerous representations between the NSW RTBU Locomotive Division and the Company, the identified error has been rectified and all monies owed to each employee has been forwarded onto the Australian Taxation Office and distributed to the individual’s Superannuation Scheme on 8th May 2020. We congratulate the member who initially picked up and pursued the payment shortfall to get what is rightfully theirs and to the benefit of other members.
NIF Pay and Conditions Update: The RTBU Position Over the past 2 months, the RTBU and NSW Trains have engaged in the process of exchanging positions in relation to the pay and conditions for proposed new roles on the NIF. No agreement has been reached and the RTBU still actively opposes the new roles and the NIF operating model. While we cannot disclose the contents of those discussions, they were less than satisfactory and it appeared that NSW Trains were making it up as they went along. This is illustrated by the fact the new roles that NSW Trains is proposing weren’t even finalised when the wage offer was first issued back in November 2019. NSW Trains told members that “we [the RTBU and NSW Trains] will discuss the different views on how pay and conditions for NIF roles can be implemented”. The RTBU wanted to take this chance to reinforce the following: • We actively oppose the creation of the new “NIF Roles”;
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• We will fight the new NIF Roles, from now until NSW Trains backs down; and • NSW Trains will learn to listen to the RTBU when it wants to change its operating models. • We know what makes a train safe and our voices will be heard to ensure the safety of our members and the safety of the community. • NSW Trains have decided to throw in an in-cab camera. Third parties will have access to the footage the camera takes, and members privacy will be at risk. Nationally, the RTBU opposes the introduction of in-cab cameras. It is time to step up and fight. Contact your delegate and learn what you can do to make your feelings about the NIF operating model known.
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Transdev Enterprise Agreement) : Standing Together for Better Outcome: The Tram and Bus Division have been working to negotiate the Transdev Enterprise Agreement since March, 2019 with the agreement ratified by the Fair Work Commission and came into force on May, 14, and will run until October, 2023. The agreement achieved great outcomes for members including - Back pay from November, 2019, inclusive of penalties. - 3% pay increases annually for all classifications - Paid Meal Breaks for CSO’s and Drivers. - Improvement to consultation and rostering clauses in the Enterprise Agreement
Throughout the negotiation members and delegates stood together voting down the Enterprise Agreement twice. Members then voted to hold protected action prior to the third vote, this pressured Transdev for a better EA which members endorsed in a vote on February, 20. Huge congratulations to Industrial Officer Lizanne Bennet and the members and Delegates for standing together through the Bargaining process. We also got to welcome a brand new delegate Dario Golini from Randwick who stepped up through the negotiation process.
NIF Update – In-Cab Cameras As part of the NIF, NSW Trains and Transport for NSW are proposing to introduce full in-cab video recording. The RTBU is, and remains, fundamentally opposed to in-cab video and live stream recording. On 22 May 2020, we had a 1-hour “video meeting” with NSW Trains in which they presented a brief overview of their proposed use of in-cab cameras. The presentation included how they intend to utilise both live and recorded footage and who can access that footage. Disappointingly, there appears to be no consideration given to the security or wellbeing of members as NSW Trains proposes to have this footage accessible by non- operational managers and third parties. NSW Trains advised that we would be sent a copy of their presentation following the meeting to review and provide comment and questions at a follow up meeting. This meeting has yet to be arranged. We were also advised NSW Trains would be sending out an update and a “Frequently Asked Questions” to all employees advising that consultation has started with the RTBU. As members know, NSW Trains has a history of using words that give an impression that detailed consultation has occurred in efforts to undermine the RTBU and members. Members should not fall for their propaganda. To be clear, the RTBU remains opposed to in-cab cameras in-line with the RTBU National Position. The Loco Division will continue to hold regular Delegate video meetings ensuring Members have the facts and not just NSW Trains’ “Spin”
www.locoexpress.com.au Page 8
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General News A Summary of COVID 19 Measures around the Industry The Coronavirus scare which has escalated since the beginning of the year raised a number of concerns in relation to the safety of our members as essential services workers in a range of occupations and led to a series of measures being taken. The RTBU has been working collaboratively with Transport NSW to ensure a proper and appropriate industry response. Below is a summary of some of the recent measures taken to ensure the safety of our members.
Train Crew While Train Crew at Sydney Trains had been consulted - with regular meetings being held, we were disappointed, due to early opening of schools, in the lack of notice given to them in relation to the green stickers appearing on each and every train in May. Notice of the stickers was not given to Train Crew until 4.37am on the morning of their introduction – clearly not enough time for anyone to raise concerns with their rollout or
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to prepare for the inevitable customer queries arising from this new system of seating. NSW Trains continued to be a substandard operator and employer by continually failing to engage with the RTBU on COVID-19 issues, while at the same time working studiously to introduce the dangerous new intercity fleet that will destroy jobs and put passenger safety at risk. To add insult to injury, NSW Trains sent out an update worthy of George Orwell’s
1984, spruiking their proposal for incab cameras. Train Crew won’t accept this blatant invasion of their privacy. Workshops Sydney Trains cleaners are now required to place stickers on trains to indicate where customers are to stand and sit and to comply with physical distancing guidelines. We are pleased to advise that Sydney Trains is offering this work to inhouse cleaners. However, there was an issue with overtime restrictions
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set at 16 hours. Many members are already at this threshold due to the other additional cleaning work e.g. touch-point cleaning. Nevertheless, Delegates have negotiated for Sydney Trains to lift this restriction temporarily. Due to this our members will be able to perform these additional duties as overtime for up to 24 hours per fortnight rather than the 16 hours. Infrastructure Sydney Trains met with infrastructure HSR & WHS Committee on 14 May. All participants were happy with the controls that have been put in place to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. It is heartening to see everyone working together for a safe workplace, and it is hoped that this continues well after this pandemic. Sydney Trains Infrastructure Division members also raised an issue relating to one team in the South West being asked to cross staff boundaries and work alongside crew from other teams. Often these directions were given by management just as teams commenced their duties. Members have raised concerns that this is a risk to their health and safety as restrictions remain in place. If you experience something similar, be sure to tell your delegate immediately. At ARTC, work groups continue to remain separated around the depots. Management has released a survey asking workers how safe they feel during the pandemic to allow workers to have input into how the situation has been managed and what improvements can be made. This move by ARTC has been generally well received by members. At John Holland, things are starting to return back to pre COVID-19 times. Some office staff have started to return from working from home and physical distancing signs and hygiene requirements in meal room have been introduced to remind workers returning to continue to take care. There has also been extra cleaning introduced. At Metro Trains, we learnt that the COVID-19 tracker used by the company has recorded zero incidences
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of infection on the Chatswood to Tullawong line. Management also reported that they had at this time experienced no COVID related issues with frontline staff. Metro Trains will be applying the green stickers on floors and seats along with signage on protection barriers. Members have raised concerns that MTS pool vehicles have not been cleaned regularly. Management advised that the pool vehicles are being cleaned daily with all other vehicles on hand over. Station Staff At Sydney Trains, members on the stations will have noticed new posters and stickers have appeared around the network promoting physical distancing while using the network, and especially while on stations. Despite these constant reminders, Sydney Trains has categorically stated that it is not the responsibility of staff to enforce these measures and the posters and stickers are for the purpose of educating passengers. Sydney and NSW Trains members raised concerns about the Transport Minister and Premier’s comments during a press conference about the potential closure of stations. Management have advised delegates that no stations are closing and that all stations are running as per normal. Around 600 additional contract security guards have been deployed around the Sydney Trains network on stations. It is still unclear what role these security guards are performing on the network given that they are stationed on the platform and concourse. Sydney Trains have undertaken to come back with more information next week. Disappointingly NSW Trains did not meet with your station delegates again at the end of May, however we were able to have some delegates participate in the HSR meeting. From that meeting, we can give the following updates: • There have been no cases of COVID-19 infections in NSW Trains. • Extra cleaning has been rolled out to ensure that supplementary buses around the network are safe and
hygienic. • There have been concerns around the supplementary buses being over crowded. Some buses have taken up to 30 passengers. • PPE is in good supply which includes sanitiser, gloves, masks and cleaning products. • NSW Trains considering implementing temperature checks similar the Rail Operations Centre. At Metro Trains, Decal stickers similar to Sydney and NSW Trains are being rolled out across the Metro Network. These stickers will be on the stations and trains. Management have also advised that there haven’t been many issues raised by frontline staff around COVID-19. Although this may be true remember that if you have any concerns, questions or issues please contact your organiser Salaried and Administration Transport for NSW reiterated their commitment to keeping office staff working from home. This is in an effort to ensure the public transport network is not overloaded and physical distancing can be maintained. Outside of the public sector, employers continue to be encouraged to keep their employees at home where reasonably practicable. Tram and Bus The Tram and Bus division continued to push for masks to protect drivers coming into contact with the public. This was becoming more important as patronage, and therefore risk of exposure on the network, increases. Divisional Secretary, David Babineau was in the media recently responding to the rushed policy decision of placing stickers on the floor and on seats. After conflicting advice from Transport and the Government. Finally, Branch Secretary, Alex Claassens also spoke on radio about the stickers and the decision to privatise Sydney’s buses.
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Community Backs Our Bus Drivers There has been a huge surge of public support towards our members as they brave the streets and continue to keep the wheels turning for our communities. It is a true testament to their hard work and dedication that they are up every morning keeping the public transport system functioning for those who need it. Recently, over 600 emails were sent to the Tram and Bus Division thanking bus drivers for their hard work and were much appreciated by the Division. They also served to highlight the critical part played by tram and bus members in surviving this crisis even though they may not get the recognition they deserve.
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The Division is very proud of the work members are doing and continue to do in this unprecedented crisis. “We want to thank the community for their support in these challenging times and acknowledge how supportive they have been. Members have really been toughing out there and seeing positive messages like this makes a world of difference,” said RTBU NSW Tram and Bus Division Secretary David Babineau. “Our members are essential workers and sometimes it takes a crisis to show just how valuable the work they do can be for our most vulnerable. We ask that you continue to support our members as they navigate through this pandemic.”
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More Incompetence at NSW Trains Expression of Interests – Guards and Drivers NSW Trains’ actions to usher in a new era of rail operation on intercity lines hit a new low recently. In an effort to entice existing guards and drivers from Sydney Trains to work the NIF, NSW Trains released two separate expressions of interest (EOI) documents. For drivers: 1. The EOI failed to contemplate who NSW Trains actually wanted to recruit. The EOI was originally intended for Central based drivers, but apparently NSW Trains changed its mind and made it open all Sydney Trains drivers. However, it left references to Central drivers throughout the document. 2. The EOI incorrectly stated that drivers returning from NSW Trains to Sydney Trains must go to Central. Sydney Trains has since sent out clarification that drivers returning from a temporary transfer will return to their substantive depots. 3. There seems to have been no contemplation what impacts temporary transfers will have on next year’s transfer list. With no clear plan on how to effectively or fairly move people, NSW Trains is setting the stage for more issues. The RTBU will continue to work with Sydney Trains to clean up NSW Trains’ mess. For guards: 1. The EOI falsely stated that the position was for a guard’s role despite NSW Trains’ position that the new role of Customer Service Guard (CSG) will not be part of train crew.
2. The wage for the role at NSW Trains was also overstated by about $25,000. The proposed wage of a CSG is proposed to be approximately $80,000. 3. The application of the Guards Rostering and Working Arrangements (GRAWA) to the new role is less than clear given that NSW Trains have previously stated that it doesn’t apply to their new proposed role. 4. Any guards who transfer on a permanent basis are not guaranteed to be taken back by Sydney Trains, but will go on a transfer list. 5. It is clear that NSW Trains want guards from Sydney Trains to help them to produce an operating model to get rid of Train Guards The roll out of the new intercity fleet has been rife with problems. For the first time in 100 years, Transport for NSW, through NSW Trains, has kept its workforce and the union out of the development and testing of new rolling stock. NSW Trains has still only allowed RTBU delegates and HSRs to see the train twice, once of which was in South Korea! It’s simply not good enough, and the RTBU and its members won’t stand for it. If NSW Trains can’t even manage to compile simple EOIs, then what hope do we have that the NIF project will be managed to a successful conclusion and provide a safe, efficient train for the commuters of regional NSW We have written to members recommending that no-one puts in an EOI. It’s an absolute shambles and we want to ensure our members don’t help NSW Trains in their attempt to remove Guards from our trains.
NSW Government Broken Promises to the Travelling Public While the world has been focused on the coronavirus pandemic, and the NSW community has been dealing with the aftermath of the massive bushfires, followed by the COVID 19 measures, the NSW Government have found time to cynically push ahead with the privatisation of the remainder of Sydney’s public buses, and continue to rush through the New Intercity Fleet, despite consistent concerns raised by the RTBU and community groups. While addressing the health concerns raised by the coronavirus, the NSW Government continues to ignore the safety concerns of the travelling public in relation to bus privatisation and the flaws in the New Intercity Fleet. Bus privatisation and keeping train guards on Sydney Trains, were election promises that the Government are hell bent on breaking at every turn. The RTBU has regularly and consistently raised safety concerns, that pose serious risks to transport workers and members of the public that have largely gone unheeded by the Transport Minister and Berejiklian Government. Instead they have used the cover
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and distraction of the massive bushfires, then the pandemic to pursue their own agenda on public transport. In another slap in the face to frontline public transport workers, and other essential workers who have been working tirelessly during the pandemic, the NSW Government has rewarded them with an indefinite wage freeze for all public sector workers which was defeated in the Parliament but the Government is still pursuing its ideological agenda by placing it in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. These issues will not go away, and the RTBU will not take its eye off the ball on these, and will continue to raise awareness, and highlight the shortcomings of these policies. Increasingly, as the community returns to some level of normal, the broader community will see these betrayals for what they are and withdraw any support for the Government, on public transport and more generally as a Government that cannot be trusted.
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Editorial The views in the following editorial are those of the Editor and do not necessarily reflect the views of the RTBU NSW Branch
Re-Thinking Work and Transport After COVID 19
The past few months have been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, and the behaviours and social measures required to curb and minimise the impact on the community. Among other changes, this time has forced government, business and unions to question the way we think about and view work and industrial relations. Businesses and employees have had to creatively adapt to new and ‘unusual’ work practices, and as the world settles from the initial shock of the pandemic, the opportunity exists to rethink and re-imagine how and where and when work is performed, and what industrial relations innovations can be implemented to secure new ways of working.
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While it can be expected that some businesses will attempt to use these circumstances to claw back wages and attack existing working conditions, arguing that ‘we cannot afford’ current or increased wage levels, the more creative sectors of business will grasp the opportunity to redefine work in ways that will be both productive to business and of value to workers and the broader community. Similarly, the more imaginative unions will seize on the same opportunity to revalue and redefine the work of their members, and to explore innovative responses to doing work differently. We should not be nervous about these discussions, but embrace them as an exciting possibility to have sensible discussions about how and
where work is performed, the hours of work, the stagger of work times, the conditions and circumstances under which work is performed, and the value attached to work and the conditions required to safeguard secure and improved working arrangements. A recent Discussion Paper, describes and poses some of these possibilities, when it states: “As importantly, the world of work pre-COVID 19 included unprecedented levels of precarious employment, under-employment, and wage theft. Now, at a time when many people are experiencing the ‘flexibility’ of working from home, the rupturing of ‘normal’ divisions between paid and unpaid
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work is resulting in massive labour intensification. The narrative surrounding a post-Corona economy is anchored in notions of normality and the news is crowded with commentators chanting the mantra of ‘snapping back’ to normal. To achieve this goal the government has signalled that significant macroeconomic and industrial reforms will be required to deliver the flexibility that businesses need to resuscitate our economy. But do we want to limit our thinking to getting things back to ‘normal’? We literally have a once in a lifetime opportunity to reimagine and introduce new approaches to work for the future.” (No Going (Snap) Back: Moving Forward to a New Accord Daryll Hull, Troy Sarina and Lucy Taksa, Centre for Workforce Futures, Macquarie University) For unions, and the members they represent, these potential developments do not require an erosion of wages or conditions. On the contrary, the opportunity exists to explore ways to: • I mprove flexible working arrangements and productivity; • I mprove wages and conditions; and • To protect or safeguard Enterprise Agreements and Awards Prior to the announcement of the Federal Government ‘JobMaker’ scheme , and proposed Hawkestyle Accord between Government, business and unions, the Discussion Paper by Hull, Sarina and Taksa posed the question “ Is it possible to introduce a ‘New Accord’ at the national level between government, employers, and unions, one that improves on the previous version and fulfils the ideals of co-operation brought to the fore during the current crisis?” While we should be cautious about intentions and possible outcomes from such an ‘accord’, it does reflect a shift in the thinking of the Federal Government that industrial relations reform will not be achieved by union-busting, or even wage restraint. It further acknowledges that at this
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critical time of economic recovery, the co-operation and input of unions, and the members they represent are an essential part of the discussion, and integral to meaningful economic recovery. The Macquarie University Centre for Workforce Futures Discussion Paper flags some of the possible areas that these discussions could explore: “Several aspects of work that offer intriguing possibilities. They range from new forms of work organisation, cooperative management principles, different kinds of remuneration systems, new approaches to industrial negotiations, concrete notions of job security, better work-life balance, new forms of cooperative ownership, and a redefinition of the ‘public interest’ to include collective and workplace outcomes between the interests of capital, labour and society in general.” Public Transport In particular to public transport, there have been some preliminary discussions about how our transport systems, travel patterns and transport work may be affected moving forward from the pandemic. In a White Paper released by Engineering Consulting firm WSP (COVID 19 & Public Transport: How to Transition from Response to Recovery, April 2020) the authors argue that “Continuation of public transport is essential to our economy and critical to connecting people to jobs, home, schools and essential services, particularly for those who cannot travel by other modes. However, the need for both physical distancing and measures to ensure driver and passenger safety, will continue to impact the capacity of those services.” The paper explores some of the behavioural and operational changes that may flow from the pandemic scenario: “The highest priority for public transport during Stage 2 - Transition will be to maintain the safety of drivers, the frontline workforce and passengers. Measures such as the
removal of cash fares, rear-door boarding, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and increased cleaning will continue to play an important role for some time.” “In busy metropolitan areas which currently operate with standing room only at peak times, both demand and supply side measures will be needed during Stage 2 – Transition. This could include: staged return of the workforce…, peak spreading, promoting a shift to active transport supported by additional infrastructure and a targeted increase in public transport services.” The WSP White Paper argues that “There are many unknowns and questions over how COVID19 will impact the wider future of our transport systems. The huge changes seen in recent months offer an opportunity to re-evaluate and reprioritise. Congestion and emissions have reduced, people have more time with their families and are engaging more with their local places and communities. There is great potential to lock in these benefits, so some good comes from the challenging situations which COVID-19 has created. “The reality is that transport systems will need to be different. And that’s where the opportunity lies. With some effective planning, analysis and automation, we can adapt our networks to once again be the lifeblood of our communities.” One thing we have learned from the coronavirus pandemic is the importance of frontline workers. We have seen the amazing roles performed by health workers, teachers, and transport workers moving passengers and vital freight during these times. These essential workers were able to perform their roles exceptionally because they were public government managed services. To proceed with the privatisation of these types of services, and the recently announced public sector wage freeze, would be a tone deaf response to the lessons already learned from the pandemic experience.
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VALE Unionist and Green Bans Leader Jack Mundey Jack Mundey, the NSW Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) leader who instigated the internationally-renowned Green Bans movement in the 1970s, died on 11 May aged 90.
Mundey coined the term “green ban” in 1973, some 18 months after the Green Bans movement started, according to the key reference work, Green Bans, Red Union, by Meredith and Verity Burgmann. The green bans movement started in 1971, and played a critical role in protecting areas fringing the Sydney CBD, such as The Rocks, Centennial Park and Woolloomooloo, from redevelopment, but the union’s role came to an abrupt halt in 1975 when BLF National Secretary Norm Gallagher (later jailed for taking bribes) removed the NSW BLF leadership and blacklisted them. Mundey, along with his Assistant Secretary Joe Owens and President Bob Pringle were Communists who sought to democratise the NSW BLF and build coalitions with other progressive social movements. The Green Bans started through what Mr Mundey himself described as an
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unlikely alliance between the BLF and a group of middle-class women from the fashionable Sydney suburb of Hunters Hill. The Battlers for Kelly’s Bush went to the BLF and Mr Mundey, in desperation to stop the development of the last bushland in the area after exhausting all other avenues. The union bans on the developer saved Kelly’s Bush and the BLF was soon inundated with community pleas for help to stop the destruction of much of old Sydney and its green spaces. By 1974, 42 green bans had been imposed, stopping more than $3 billion worth of development. “When we changed the name from ‘black ban’ to ‘green ban’, [it] was the defining issue that won us support outside the union movement”, he told the CFMEU’s Paddy Gorman in a 13-minute video interview that the union posted as a tribute following his death.
He said that the Green Bans “highlighted a requirement that people be involved in the decisionmaking process”. Mundey in the interview expressed concern about the recent “demonising” of unions and attacks on them and called for a “resurgence in rank and file activity” to bring about change. The Green Bans marked a “very proud” period for unions because it demonstrated their “real value” beyond traditional concerns such as wages and conditions. “Unions have got to work to bring back that [they] are not only concerned about wages and conditions but. . . about public issues at large,” he said. Mr Mundey was born in far north Queensland and moved to Sydney aged 19, mainly to play rugby league and had three seasons with Parramatta. Mundey rose to prominence in Sydney as the leader of the NSW
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Builders Labourers Federation, a role he assumed in 1968. As Sydney entered a construction boom in the 1970s, Mundey’s BLF instituted 40 green bans throughout the city, a type of strike in which union members refused to work on projects it viewed socially or environmentally undesirable. In a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald in 1972, Mundey argued that while his members “want to build”, it preferred to construct hospitals, schools, other public utilities and high- quality housing, rather than “ugly unimaginative architecturally-bankrupt blocks of concrete and glass offices”. “Though we want all our members employed, we will not just become robots directed by developer-builders who value the dollar at the expense of the environment,” he wrote. “More and more, we are going to determine which buildings we will build … Progressive unions, like ours, therefore have a very useful social role to play in the citizens’ interest, and we intend to play it.” Mr Mundey remained active in the union after leading the NSW BLF from 1968 to 1975. His heritage battles continued late in life, campaigning to protect heritage sites such as the Bondi Pavilion and the Sirius apartments in The Rocks. Tributes Following news of Mr Mundey’s death, tributes have flowed from all sectors of society in Australia and globally, a selection from various Australian media sources such as the Guardian, SBS News and others are provided below. The ACTU said in a statement that Mundey “was an extremely principled leader who adhered to highly democratic practices and a belief in maximum terms for elected leaders.” He changed the face and direction of unionism in Australia, ACTU secretary Sally McManus said. “Vale to a man who reshaped Australian union history, whose legacy is there for all to see in the beauty of Sydney and whose principles shone through until the end.”
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McManus said the BLF had also “initiated the first ‘pink ban’ refusing building works at Macquarie University in solidarity with the dismissal of a gay academic”. In her 1985 film, Rocking the Foundations, film-maker and union member Pat Fiske said that for five years in the 1970s, the NSW BLF and its members “made history” when they “put the environment and people ahead of their own jobs”. CFMEU National Secretary Dave Noonan said in a statement that Mundey and the NSW BLF “stood up to the forces of capital and spoke truth to power. He helped build a powerful coalition of trade unions, community organisations, church groups and others to fight for Sydney’s built and natural heritage.” He was a giant of the Australian and global trade union movement, a visionary and inspiration to all unionists and activists, Dave Noonan said. “Anyone who has enjoyed Sydney’s unique heritage and open spaces has Jack Mundey to thank.” Mr Noonan noted that under Mr Mundey’s leadership, the union made important improvements in wages and conditions while also standing up for the rights of First Nations people, the
LGBTI community and women. Environmentalist and former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said Mr Mundey was a thoughtful man, ‘a peaceful and courageous social revolutionary’ who left the world with a brilliant green legacy. “The world has lost his presence but that inspiration will live on and be critical for the coming generations,” Brown said. The Greens leader Adam Bandt said Mundey was a “leader and a visionary”, while Labor’s employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor said he was a “great union leader” known for his courage. The Nature Conservation Council chief executive Chris Gambian said the conservation movement was in mourning on Monday. “Mundey was a visionary who understood the struggles for social justice and environmental justice are part of the same broader project – to preserve human dignity in the face of unconstrained development,” he said. Mr Mundey is survived by his wife Judy. His son Michael predeceased him.
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Trainwreck at Carriageworks The following is an edited version of an article by Judith White, former Executive Director of the Art Gallery Society of NSW that appeared in the newsletter Pearls and Irritations in May 2020.
Credit – Wikipedia The collapse of Sydney arts and entertainment centre Carriageworks has sent tremors through the besieged arts sector; but it also shows up the deep flaws in the NSW Government’s cultural policy, and is fuelling demands to halt its disastrous $1.5 billion plan to relocate the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta. In November 2018 then NSW Arts Minister Don ‘Holiday Home’ Harwin plucked Lisa Havilah from her job as boss of Carriageworks to become the first CEO – not director – of the Powerhouse Museum, reporting directly to him. She had no significant museum experience but was credited with making a commercial success of the inner-west Carriageworks venue. In the six years she held the role,
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visitor numbers had skyrocketed from 110,000 per year to 1.327 million, and were forecast to double. Eighteen months on, after weeks of private talks, the arts centre has formally called in KPMG, the Government’s favourite administrator. The 4 May statement cited loss of income because of COVID-19 restrictions; but the financial problems are not new. The annual report for 2018, which was Lisa Havilah’s last year in charge, shows that Carriageworks had gone from making a small profit to making a loss of $550,000; and more worryingly, that its liabilities exceeded its assets by almost the same amount. When the old railway workshops at Eveleigh were repurposed into an arts centre in 2007, under the Labor
Government of Premier Morris Iemma, it seemed a great idea: an inner-west venue that could attract big local audiences to an exciting program of festivals, exhibitions and performances, as well as becoming home to resident arts companies and making additional income from markets and corporate hire. But it required substantial public funding to be sustainable, and that was never guaranteed. State Coalition governments from 2011 onwards have been unwilling to provide support for such an eclectic, innovative program. In 2018 grants totalled only a quarter of the centre’s revenue. During big events like the Sydney Writers’ Festival, the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair and MercedesBenz Fashion Week, the cavernous
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space of the former railway sheds was flooded with visitors, but it proved difficult to sustain income when transient audiences ebbed away. In January this year the Government appointed a Treasury staffer as a board observer, and then Create NSW, which provided $2.5 million for the current funding year, refused to commit funds for the coming year on the grounds that Carriageworks had yet to prove its solvency. Now the Berejiklian Government is canvassing what even by its own standards must be one of the barmiest cultural policies ever proposed: a takeover by the Sydney Opera House (board chair: Nicholas Moore, formerly of Macquarie Bank) of Carriageworks (board chair: Cass O’Connor, formerly of Goldman Sachs). The two organisations are chalk and cheese; it sounds like the corporate merger from hell. When on earth will NSW have boards run by people with expertise in the arts rather than the governancechallenged finance and big business sector? Key figures with precisely the right expertise have slammed the merger proposal. Michael Lynch, the former Opera House director who is widely considered Australia’s most experienced arts administrator, said
it “seems like a corporate power grab”. It was “a reprehensible step… Carriageworks is a centre focused on the future and future audiences and arts practitioners, whereas the Opera House is very much focused on traditional well-heeled people.” Kim Williams, a former chair of the Opera House board, wrote that the senior institution “has been literally prowling, aiming to take over Carriageworks in an egregious piece of empire-building worthy of robber barons”. There is an obvious solution: halt the $1.5 billion Powerhouse plan, and put the money into bailing out crisis-hit arts organisations, including Carriageworks. Proponents of the idea include Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, the NSW Greens, Labor’s shadow arts minister Walt Secord and the Powerhouse Museum Alliance. Arts consultant Kylie Winkworth has pointed out that the cost of an arts bailout would be a tiny fraction of that being spent on football stadiums or on the Powerhouse plan, which has so far cost the public purse $40 million in consultancies without creating a single job in Parramatta. A rescue plan for Carriageworks would require both funding commitment and the appointment of a
suitably qualified board. That’s a big reach for this State Government. Berejiklian remains committed to the Powerhouse plan with a stubbornness inexplicable unless there is a secret deal with developers. Rumours are now swirling that the Ultimo site has already been sold. The Government’s asset sales mania bodes ill for Carriageworks, which has only a short-term tenancy on the big Eveleigh site. And it lends added urgency to a fresh examination of the Powerhouse issue by State Parliament’s Upper House committee, which is took submissions up until 17 May. The Carriageworks crisis has exacerbated fears for the arts sector, which is among the hardest-hit by pandemic restrictions. The campaign is gaining momentum. Respected actor Noni Hazelhurst has accused the Federal Government of “waging a culture war” that is devastating the arts. She is backing the Greens who this week, following consultation with a range of arts organisations, put forward a three-part rescue package, “Create Australia”: for live performance, Australian screen content, and artists in residence for schools and libraries. It’s a plan with a lot of support.
Thanks to Our Transport Workers: Throughout the pandemic RTBU members have been on the front line making sure essential workers can get to work and the community can get to vital medical appointments. The Our Transport community, an online group of commuters and transport supporters, were asked to send a message of thanks to our members. Over 600 commuters sent in a message demonstrating the public support for our vital work. These messages are being progressively delivered to members who themselves provided essential services on the frontline, and of course, we thanked the community for their support.
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Quick Thinking Rail Workers save young woman A young Sydney woman was dragged by a train at Chatswood Station after getting her arm caught in closing doors On May 25, Seven News showed vision of a near tragedy as a woman runs to board the train and jams her hand in the closing doors, expecting the door to spring open. It didn’t. Then the train began to pull away from the platform, with the panicked woman with her arm stuck in the doors. In the news vision, the woman is seen being dragged along the platform as horrified bystanders watch on. A quick-thinking platform attendant alerted the train guard, and the train was brought to a stop. The incident occurred during peak
hour at Chatswood Train Station in Sydney’s lower north shore. ‘Dangerous behaviour’ Acting Chief Executive Sydney Trains Stewart Mills said it is “dangerous behaviour”. “She could have had a very serious injury,” he told 7NEWS. As a bystander raises the alarm, the platform attendant reacts instantly, alerting a guard who stops the train within a few metres. “It’s the vigilance of the guard and the platform staff that would have stopped it,” Mills said.
Sydney train doors are designed to open when obstructed but it is understood that the woman’s arm did not trigger the mechanism. While the passenger was badly shaken by the incident, she was not injured and boarded the next train. This incident could have ended very badly, but for the actions of the platform attendant and the train guard. This is a stark reminder to the Transport Minister and NSW Government, as they continue to explore ways of removing guards from trains on the network.
Transport Workers at the Frontline of COVID 19 With schools back full time, and other work and social restrictions slowly easing, public transport has so far been coping reasonably well. There hasn’t been the frantic rush on public transport, as was initially expected, as people generally are easing back into work and travel routines, with most adhering to social distancing requirements. The rest of the state continues to return to normal, with restrictions being lifted in a very quick fashion. Earlier in the week, the Government announced that regional holidays were to be allowed from 1 June, and on Friday it was announced that 50 people would be once again able to congregate in pubs! Nevertheless, it’s important that we remember wherever you may be across NSW that COVID-19 is still a real and present threat to our health safety at work. Stay alert and make sure your boss is doing the right thing by you and your workmates. Many members would have seen green stickers appearing on the seats of our trains and buses in May. The stickers are designed to tell commuters where to sit and stand to ensure physical distancing. Although the strategy behind the stickers and their
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effectiveness in influencing commuter behaviour is questionable, anything that can be done to encourage physical distancing is a good thing. However, members were somewhat blindsided by the rollout of these stickers with no notice or consultation before the commencement of this system. Recently our Victorian RTBU colleagues had their say on a number of COVID-19 issues. The results of the survey indicated that the most important issues are: • Ensuring ongoing physical distancing among members and the general public (including physical barriers, limits on passenger numbers, etc.); • Ongoing cleaning with an emphasis on a need for a boosted ongoing cleaning regime • Guaranteed availability of PPE (including face masks, gloves,
disinfectant wipes and hand sanitiser); • Clarification and retention of current policies (including ticket and cash handling, modified working arrangements, etc.); • Better education and clear policies regarding best practice hygiene and social distancing for commuters and all across the network. If you think there are extra items that apply specifically to us up here in NSW, make sure you let your delegate know. We should all be proud of everything we’ve done throughout this crisis. Transport workers – from trains, to buses, to freight, to trams – have kept our society moving throughout an utterly unprecedented time. Many of us may not have received the kudos you deserve, but let it be known that your efforts will not be forgotten.
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Summary of Financial Reports AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION, NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH This summary of Financial Reports for the NSW Branch have been extracted from the audited NSW Branch General Purpose Financial Report for 2019, prepared for the Fair Work Commission in compliance with reporting requirements of the Fair Work Act and Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009. The full Financial Reports (including explanatory notes) are available on rtbuexpress.com.au
AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION, NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the Year Ended 31st December 2019 2019
2018
$
$
7,364,432
7,032,301
504,990
450,799
-
-
Interest Received
224,020
178,248
Rent Received
330,264
340,080
-
-
1,500,000
-
-
-
37,599
55,438
9,961,305
8,056,866
3,215,821
3,249,726
912,525
859,968
-
-
Affiliation Fees
254,717
233,197
Administration Expenses
987,715
1,106,879
Grants or Donations
22,283
21,550
Depreciation and Amortisation
87,486
94,047
475,037
256,086
42,844
57,340
Other Expenses
1,374,185
1,325,067
TOTAL EXPENSES
7,372,613
7,203,859
PROFIT FOR THE YEAR
2,588,692
853,007
279,375
-
2,868,067
853,007
INCOME Members Contributions Legal Levy Received Capitation Fees and other revenue from another reporting entity
Grants and/or Donations Valuation Gain from Investment Property Revenue from Recovery of Wages Activity Other Income TOTAL INCOME EXPENSES Employee Expenses Capitation Fee paid to National Office Other Expenses to another Reporting Unit
Legal Costs Audit and Accounting Fees
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME Items that will not be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss Gain on revaluation of land and building TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR
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Summary of Financial Reports AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION, NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH STATEMENT OF CHANGES MEMBER’S EQUITY As at 31st December 2019 Retained Profits
Asset Revaluation
Total
$
$
Balance 01/01/2018
22,031,144
342,500
22,373,644
Profit for the Year
853,007
853,007
Total Comprehensive Income for the Year
853,007
853,007
Balance 31/12/2018
22,884,151
Profit for the Year
2,588,692
Other Comprehensive Income for the Year
Other Comprehensive Income for the Year
342,500
23,226,651 2,588,692
279,375
279,375
Total Comprehensive Income for the Year
2,588,692
279,375
2,868,067
Balance 31/12/2019
25,472,843
621,875
26,094,718
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Summary of Financial Reports AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION, NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION As at 31st December 2019 2019
2018
$
$
CURRENT ASSETS Cash and Cash Equivalents
17,979,273
16,254,924
Receivables
228,258
154,760
Other
118,556
156,671
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS
18,326,087
16,566,355
Receivable
979,046
978,772
Financial Assets
1,236
1,061
Property
1,024,000
764,750
Investment Property
7,666,432
6,181,739
Plant & Equipment
84,927
86,376
Motor Vehicles
116,083
109,842
TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS
9,871,724
8,122,540
TOTAL ASSETS
28,197,811
24,688,895
Accounts Payable
551,862
506,386
Provisions
1,551,231
955,858
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES
2,103,093
1,462,244
TOTAL LIABILITIES
2,103,093
1,462,244
NET ASSETS
26,094,718
23,226,651
Reserves
621,875
342,500
Accumulated Surplus
25,472,843
22,884,151
ACCUMULATED FUNDS
26,094,718
23,226,651
NON-CURRENT ASSETS
CURRENT LIABILITIES
ACCUMULATED FUNDS
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Summary of Financial Reports AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION, NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS For the Year Ended 31st December 2019 2019
2018
$
$
Receipt from RTBU National Office
2,586
10,281
Receipts from Members
8,573,085
8,267,447
Payment to RTBU National Office
(1,066,025)
(808,763)
Payments to Suppliers and Employees
(6,353,845)
(6,425,177)
Interest Received
223,845
178,423
Rent Received
363,290
374,088
Rental Bond Received
-
-
Receipts - Other
38,259
80,621
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
1,781,196
1,677,465
Purchase of plant and equipment
(56,847)
(35,356)
Payment for Assets
-
-
Net Cash (Used in) Investing Activities
(56,847)
(35,356)
Net Increase in Cash Held
1,724,349
1,642,109
Cash at beginning of the Year
16,254,924
14,612,815
Cash at the End of Year
17,979,273
16,254,924
CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
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Summary of Financial Reports RAIL, TRAM AND BUS UNION OF NEW SOUTH WALES This summary of State Financial Reports has been extracted from the audited State Finncial Statements for 2019, prepared in compliance with reporting requirements of the NSW Industrial Relations Act 1996. The full State Financial Reports (including explanatory notes) are available on rtbuexpress.com.au RAIL, TRAM AND BUS UNION OF NEW SOUTH WALES STATEMENT COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the Year Ended 31st December 2019 2019
2018
$
$
INCOME Rent – Caravans
135,964
126,660
Rent – Units
183,276
195,239
-
-
Interest Received
41
28
TOTAL INCOME
319,281
321,927
Administration Expenses
276,678
252,745
Depreciation Expenses
170,184
174,642
20,303
34,092
467,166
461,479
(147,885)
(139,552)
Gain on Revaluation of Land & Buildings
1,950,000
-
TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR
1,802,115
(139,552)
Valuation gain from investment property – Jervis Bay
EXPENSES
Other Expenses TOTAL EXPENSES NET (LOSS) FOR THE YEAR OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
RAIL, TRAM AND BUS UNION OF NEW SOUTH WALES STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN MEMBER’S EQUITY As at 31st December 2019 Retained Profits Balance 01/01/2018 Net (Loss) for the Year Other Comprehensive Income for the Year Total Comprehensive Income for the Year Balance 31/12/2018 Net (Loss) for the Year Other Comprehensive Income for the Year Total Comprehensive Income for the Year Balance 31/12/2019
Page 24
Asset Revaluation
Total
$
$
2,327,991
3,695,854
6,023,845
(139,552)
-
(139,552)
-
-
-
(139,552)
-
(139,552)
2,188,439
3,695,854
5,884,293
(147,885)
-
(147,885)
-
1,950,000
1,950,000
(147,885)
5,645,854
1,802,115
2,040,554
5,645,854
7,686,408
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Summary of Financial Reports RAIL, TRAM AND BUS UNION OF NEW SOUTH WALES STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION As at 31st December 2019 2019
2018
$
$
CURRENT ASSETS Cash and Cash Equivalents
59,469
44,297
6,171 -
6,699 17,233
65,640
68,229
Investment Property – Jervis Bay
1,000,000
1,000,000
Property, Plant & Equipment
7,603,920
5,801,824
TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS
8,603,920
6,801,824
TOTAL ASSETS
8,669,560
6,870,054
Payables
4,106
6,715
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES
4,106
6,715
Payables
979,046
979,046
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
979,046
979,046
TOTAL LIABILITIES
983,152
985,761
7,686,408
5,884,293
Reserves
5,645,854
3,695,854
Accumulated Surplus
2,040,554
2,188,439
ACCUMULATED FUNDS
7,686,408
5,884,293
Receivables Other Asset TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS NON-CURRENT ASSETS
CURRENT LIABILITIES
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
NET ASSETS ACCUMULATED FUNDS
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Page 25
Summary of Financial Reports RAIL, TRAM AND BUS UNION OF NEW SOUTH WALES STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS For the Year Ended 31st December 2019 2019
2018
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Rent Received Interest Received Payments to Suppliers and Employees Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities
351,693
354,090
41 28 (314,282)
(332,038)
37,452
22,080
(22,280)
(71,690)
CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACITIVITIES Payment for Assets Proceed from Sale of Assets Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
(22,280)
(71,690)
Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash Held
15,172
14,390
Cash at beginning of the Year
44,297
29,907
Cash at the End of Year
59,469
44,297
Page 26
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
On the Campaign Trail Keep Our Buses Public As the Covid-19 pandemic lead to greater restrictions the RTBU wrote to the Berijiklien Government requesting the Government pause the privatisation of our public bus networks so that members could focus on delivering an essential service and feel secure in their work. This request was ignored by the Berijiklian Government who ploughed ahead with their plans to privatise regions 7, 8 and 9 with the tenders announced for Region 8, the Northern Beaches on June 25, 2020. We know that the privatisation of these essential services is a disaster for commuters and workers alike, but we won’t give up hope, until the contracts are signed the Government can still reverse this decision. Members and the Community have made the sure the Government did not get away with this under the cover of Covid-19. We have stood together and made sure the Government knows how deeply unpopular their privatisation plans are and that the fight will continue. MP Pledges: In late May we launched an action calling on all MPs and MLCs to pledge to protect our buses. To date, 33 MPs and MLCs, including representatives from the ALP, Greens, And it worked Shooters and Fishers and Independents have pledged to oppose the privatisation of our buses and advocate for public transport to remain in public hands. To find out if your local MP has pledged or to ask them to sign go to ourtransport.org.au
Stephen Bali, Member for Blacktown taking the pledge Super Thursday of Action: In late June the NSW Parliament held their second debate about the Governments plans to privatise our buses. This was triggered by over 22,000 signatures from commuters and members gathered across the state. Unlike the first debate we weren’t able to pack the gallery, but we definitely made sure our voices were heard. On the day, one of our members conducted a one person picket outside parliament spending all day standing outside, asking for MPs to come and pledge to protect our buses
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Labor politicians supporting Bus Drivers We also took our fight to the electorate offices of MPs across affected regions, with small scale, physically distanced protests outside MPs offices, with constituents and drivers hand delivering our pledge. At 4pm, when the debate kicked parliament was surrounded with a car and push bike convoy, more than 50 cars surrounded parliament, chanting and leaning on their horns. The noise was heard in the chamber with allied politicians joining us on the street and applauding from the balconies of parliament when the debate concluded.
Page 27
PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLEDGE I, ________________, in my capacity as an elected member of NSW Parliament, representing the NSW State seat of ________________ sign this pledge committing to supporting and defending public transport in NSW by: 1. Keeping Our Buses Public: I commit to defending all publicly operated bus services in Sydney and the greater regions of NSW from privatisation. Buses currently being operated by the State Transit Authority in region seven, eight and nine have been targeted for privatisation. As an elected member of the NSW Parliament, I pledge to advocate in Parliament and in my community to keep these bus services in public hands now and into the future. 2. Holding Private Operators to Account: I commit to policing any and all private bus contracts in NSW to ensure that private bus operators maintain their contractual obligations and standards that the community expects of them. 3. Supporting Public Transport: I commit to campaigning for a publicly owned mass transit system that is available and affordable to all citizens. Publicly owned and operated mass transit systems are a necessity for a well-functioning, sustainable and fair society. I will defend existing publicly owned transport and the expansion of these public transport systems into the future. Name: __________________________
Signed: __________________________
Date: __________________________
KEEP OUR BUSES PUBLIC Authorised by Mark Morey, Unions NSW, Level 3, 4-10 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Privatisation doesn’t work. Privatising buses in Sydney’s inner west and Newcastle has massively reduced on-time running. Routes have been cut, stops closed and working conditions have nosedived. In the inner west, ex-STA are being forced out of a job because work has been taken away from them and they can’t earn a living. Bus drivers are on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping bus services running so the thousands of people who need accessible, affordable public transport can still get by. I know that nurses, ambos, and others need to get to the important work they do and I’m proud to provide that service. We are in constant contact with members of the public, with all the risks that entails. Every time I come home, I put my family at risk.
Courtney Houssos, MLC, signing the pledge to save our buses Our members and allies were all over the media, with our actions at MPs offices and outside parliament covered in both print and in broadcast. A massive congratulations to the Delegates, and community activists who made sure, even in this challenging time our message was heard loud and clear. An open letter from a Driver: We also launched an open letter from a driver talking about their experience during the pandemic and calling in the Government to halt this process. You can add your name to the letter at https://ourtransport.org.au/take-action/ Dear Premier Berejiklian, I’m a public bus driver in Sydney. I’m also a father of two, a husband, and a son. I am writing to reject your proposal to privatise the operations of Sydney’s bus services.
Page 28
Drivers are afraid, yet we are determined to do our public duty. But we are also afraid that once this pandemic is over, your privatisation plans will leave commuters with inferior services and drivers with poorer working conditions – or out of a job entirely, like my work mates in maintenance and safety as well as our bus schedulers and operations personnel. To privatise bus services during a global pandemic, when bus drivers are putting themselves at great risk, is about the biggest slap in the face I can imagine for workers and commuters. It’s a basic responsibility of our government to provide a safe, affordable and reliable public transport network, but at the moment it seems you and your government are intent on shirking that responsibility to the detriment of commuters and workers. Private operators put profits before people. To make money they’ll slash services, close bus stops and cut back on maintenance. Please, don’t rob Sydney commuters of the bus services they deserve. I urge you to immediately withdraw your proposal to privatise Sydney’s public bus services and make a public commitment not to privatise any other public transport services in NSW.
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Building the Our Transport Community With the letter from “Travis” and thousands of signatures on our petition to the NSW Government at the end of May we ran our first meeting of Our Transport online. Union members, commuters and community groups came together for a crisis meeting to discuss how to escalate our campaign to keep our buses public. 70 people attended an online meeting where we heard from commuters and members about their experience and developed plans to approach as many MPS and MLCs as possible, and ask them to pledge to Keep our Buses in public hands. Many of these community members joined us for our day of action and have committed to fighting to Keep Our Buses Public and our other campaigns.
Leisl Tesch, Member for Gosford supporting the bus campaign
Want to play an even bigger role in helping protect the bus service in your local area? Here’s your chance! On Monday 1 June, 6pm, we held a series of online local action group meetings to discuss what we can do in our local communities to help stop the NSW Government’s bus privatisation plans. If allowed to go ahead, the NSW Government’s bus privatisation plans will mean that you and your neighbours will end up with an inferior bus service. We’ve seen what privatisation has done to places like Newcastle and the inner-west – stops have been closed, routes have been cut and workers miss out. We can’t afford to let that happen to your local service and our local workers.
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Join with other passionate people in your community on to discuss what we can do in your local area to help keep our buses public. Register for your Local Action Group meetings at ourtransport.org.au The meetings will be held over Zoom, so you can join on your computer or your phone. Simply register here and we’ll send you a joining link closer to the day.
Let’s work together to help save our buses. Page 29
Safety Matters Inaugural National PN HSR Conference A Huge Success! The very first RTBU Pacific National Health and Safety Representatives (HSR) Conference was held on Wednesday 20 May. There was great turnout with Representatives from Intermodal, Coal and Bulk Divisions across the Driver, Terminal Operator and Maintainer ranks. HSRs and WHSE Committees are crucial in keeping Members safe at work, but for some time there has been gaps in training, committee structures and quorums and support. This Conference is the first step in closing those gaps and allowing the free-flow of information between HSRs across the country. Support will continue through regular national meetings, email forums and sharing information specifically on dealing with issues that may seem to be isolated but are in fact PN wide. The meeting was the opportunity for HSRs to meet one another, talk about issues pertaining to their workplaces and
the broader national issues. A massive thank you to those who were able to attend, and for those that weren’t, we’ll see you at the next one. Stay tuned for further updates and the date for the June conference. STANDING UNITED FOR A SAFE WORKPLACE Did You Know? If a worker requests that one or more HSRs be elected for the workplace, your Employer must make arrangements to establish one or more work groups. Within 14 days of this request, the employer must begin negotiating with the workers and HSRs. The Union can assist in forming work groups and referring matters for resolution. WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY IS 100% UNION BUSINESS
NSW Trains – NIF and COVID-19 Members will be aware of the current situation with COVID-19 and the effects it is having our work environment, families, and social lives. What members may not be aware of is NSW Trains appalling approach to dealing with COVID-19 and its effect on members, highlighted in their refusal to cease any NIF efforts and forging ahead with their proposals regardless of the current crisis. It is our view the testing on the NIF is not required at all in the current environment. The train is not performing an “essential service” as it is not in revenue service and is not required to be for the foreseeable future. Yet NSW Trains continues to expose its workers to this unnecessary risk. The RTBU has contacted NSW Trains Senior Management to establish a regular meeting with RTBU Officers and Delegates to deal with all COVID matters affecting members across NSW, and put in place a process for managing each issue as they arise. Unfortunately, NSW Trains have ignored our request and instead established a SEQR forum with a cast of thousands, where little is achieved and without genuine RTBU participation. When it comes to the NIF, NSW Trains are inconsiderate of the current crisis and plough ahead with continual requests
Page 30
for meetings on the things that fit their NIF agenda. The Operator Instruction Manual review is still occurring, along with meetings to discuss their wage offer of 2019, and a review of proposed training material. Add to these proposals around sign on processes, electronic device utilisation and apps for the same, it never ends! It is clearly apparent that NSW Trains have an agenda regarding NIF and nothing is going to stop them achieving their outcomes, COVID included. All this is occurring without any apparent regard for how the members actually feel about their proposals and what it means to their working lives. Members will recall the RTBU initiated a NIF related survey undertaken at the end of 2019, which delivered the staggering result that 90% of staff do not want anything to do with the NIF or its operations, as members are convinced what is proposed is unsafe to members and the travelling public. Whilst the storm clouds of discontent and dissatisfaction continue to gather, HMAS NIF continues to sail on apparently oblivious and ignorant of the gathering tempest.
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Transport workers welcome fines for despicable attacks on frontline workers The RTBU put out a media release in late April welcoming the introduction of fines and potential jail time for anyone caught spitting or coughing on transport workers, including bus drivers and other frontline workers. The NSW Government announced the $5000 fines and potential jail time for anyone found to be deliberately coughing or spitting on public officials such as healthcare workers would now officially be extended to all workers. RTBU Tram and Bus Division Secretary, David Babineau, said the changes, which come after pressure from unions, are unfortunately required during the COVID-19 crisis. “Our bus drivers and other transport workers have been on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis, putting their health and safety and that of their families’ on the line in order to keep our communities moving,” Mr Babineau said. “While the last few weeks have brought out the best in many people in our community, our frontline transport workers have unfortunately also seen the worst, with a disturbing number of incidents involving people spitting and coughing on frontline workers. “Our bus drivers and other frontline transport workers
have shown we’re willing to do whatever it takes to get our community through this crisis. The least we should be afforded is some basic respect. “While of course most people do the right thing, there’s a small minority of people who think it’s funny or acceptable to cough or spit on workers. That’s why we need these fines in place – we simply can’t have that kind of vile behaviour continue. “It’s good to see the NSW Government take action to address this despicable behaviour. No worker, whether they’re a bus driver, a nurse, a supermarket worker or anyone else, should ever have to put up with being abused at work. “It doesn’t get much lower than coughing or spitting on people at any time, particularly during the current pandemic. We need to take a zero tolerance approach to this kind of carry on.”
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 RAIL & ROAD June 2020
Page 31
Coffee Visits As Covid-19 restrictions eased RTBU officials, and our friends at First State Super, arranged to shout members a coffee. We went to Newcastle, Gosford, Flemington and Central, catching up with members from across the Union. We used the opportunity to thank our members, update on what’s happening with the NIF, talk to members about our campaign to stop the privatisation of Sydney Train cleaners jobs and, most importantly thanking our members for continuing to work throughout the pandemic. In Newcastle, and Gosford we were joined by local Labor politicians, including Tim Crackenthorpe (Member for Newcastle) , David Mehan (Member for the Entrance), Leisl Tech, (Member for Gosford) and David Harris. (Member for Wyong)
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 Bruce Gale on 0414 934 878 or the union office on (02) 9264 2511
32 Page 14
RAIL&&rOaD ROADJune June2010 2020 raIL
Whistlestop Vale Ron Bradford first RTBU National President
Ron Bradford became the first full time General President of the AFULE in 1977. When the RTBU was formed in 1993 by the amalgamation of three rail unions and the tram and bus union, Ron became the first National President of the newly amalgamated union. He retired from the industry in 1995. These are some of the many achievements woven through a life dedicated to improving the working lives of “footplate” staff. Ron died at the venerable age of 90 surrounded by his family. Ron’s home state was WA where he worked on both steam and diesel locomotives at a variety of regional locations including Katanning, Geraldton, East Perth and Forrestfield. He was a union activist in the WA Branch and occupied several sub- divisional and State Executive positions. The union environment of his formative years was very different to the rail industry we know today. There was an integrated railway system with an extensive freight and passenger network. Promotion to driver could take twenty years. Railway managers came from within and knew the industry unlike today’s fly in/fly out managers. Practically all workers in the rail industry were members of a union. The many years of union activism meant that Ron gained a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of the locomotive craft and the many issues which continually confronted locomotive drivers: rostering, the condition of barracks, meal rooms and
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
locomotive cabs. The transition from steam to diesel left an indelible impression on Ron about the need for unionists to pay close attention to technological change and its impact on workers’ job security and wages and conditions. As a union official Ron was a competent and effective allrounder whether he was chairing a meeting, appearing for the union in the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, making representations to employers and governments, reporting back to members or representing the union at international union conferences. Ron successfully navigated the political shoals within his union. Political infighting in the 70 and 80s between the left and right required a person who was respected by all sides and whose first and foremost objective was the continuing strength of the union. He encouraged member participation and implored members ‘not to remain mute with a knot in your guts that could only be unwound with a few beers’ but to step up and voice their concerns at union meetings. Ron’s knowledge of the industry was recognised in the early 1980s when he was invited to join the Board of the Australian Railway Research and Development Organisation as a union representative. The 1970s and 1980s saw the beginning of a period of profound change in the railway industry. The early 1980s were punctuated by a series of lengthy industrial disputes in NSW involving the crewing of freight trains and the driver only operation of the XPT. The freight crewing disputes resulted in a major demarcation dispute between the AFULE and the ARU concerning the removal of the brake van and the proposed amalgamation of the observer and guards duties. Throughout this upheaval which included stormy mass meetings of striking members and complex,
technical industrial cases, Ron was a powerful voice for unity and methodically and professionally worked through the issues on behalf of the members. Ron was a skilled and resourceful industrial advocate respected by all. Ron developed and implemented the strategy for Driver Only Operations in the then Australian National Railways which achieved an 18% wage increase and set the benchmark for DOO across Australia. By the end of the 1980s, the railway industry was changing fundamentally. The savage decline in railway union memberships and union resources and the challenges posed by emerging antiunion railway managements provided the catalyst for discussions about union amalgamation within the railway industry and across Australian industry more generally. The amalgamating union governing bodies set out a process and a program of actions based on the principle of forthright discussions with the members. An intensive publicity campaign was mounted and many meeting with members on the job were held across Australia. Ron Bradford was pivotal to keeping the amalgamation process on track and ensuring negotiations were cordial and conducted in a positive spirit. Seventy three percent of loco drivers participating in the ballot voted in favour of amalgamation. Ron had a fine sense of humour and could be self-deprecating. Ron also had a great love of his family, his wife Peg and sons. Ron’s work as both a locomotive driver and as a railway union official required frequent travel and many nights away from his family and loved ones. We extend our condolences to his family and remember with pride his towering contribution to the advancement and betterment of the lives of those workers he had the privilege to represent. Supplied by former RTBU National Secretary Roger Jowett.
Page 33
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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www.facebook. com/RTBUNSW
RAIL & ROAD June 2020
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.
Like Us on Facebook RTBU Holiday Park Jervis Bay Page 35
CHANGE OF DETAILS FORM CHANGE OF PERSONAL DETAILS 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
Occupation: Eg Train Driver
RTBU Member Number
Work Location/ Depot
Date Commenced
Employment Status Fulltime
CHANGE IN BANKING DETAILS 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.
Part time
Casual
Next Pay Week
DETAILS OF BANK ACCOUNT TO BE DEBITED Name of Financial Institution (Bank)
Branch where account is held
Account in the name(s) of Bank/State Branch Number: (BSB Six Digits)
Account Number (Maximum of 9 digits)
DETAILS OF CREDIT CARD TO BE DEBITED Credit Card Type: Eg Visa, MasterCard, AMX
Credit Card Number
Credit card in the name of
Expiry Date
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. 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
SUBMIT
DATE 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
Transport workers keep Australia moving. And rt health is the fund to keep RTBU members moving.
At rt health, we have been looking after transport workers for 130 years and exist only to give our members great value health cover at the best possible price. As an RTBU member, we want to do all we can to provide you with health cover that matches your lifestyle. On joining rt health you will recieve: 5% discount on health covers (excluding ambulance-only cover) $150 Woolworths WISH gift card as a welcome gift Immediate waiver of ALL 2 & 3 month waiting periods – start claiming straight away An extra $200 WISH gift card when you get someone else to join rt health before 30/04/20* Dedicated hotline & website for RTBU members
Find out more by calling our dedicated RTBU hotline on 1300
782 810
join@rthealthfund.com.au rthealthfund.com.au/rtbu *See www.rthealthfund.com.au/mim-gift-cards for more details.
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.
OF THE RTBU 1. A member may resign from membership of the Union by written notice addressed and delivered to the Secretary of his/her Branch. 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.
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.
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.
The RTBU Executive, Officers and Staff wish all members and their families
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Level 4, 321 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000
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Tel (02) 9264 2511 Fax (02) 9264 1342 E-mail nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au Website www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au
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An industry fund for all This is general information only and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. Seek professional financial advice, consider your own circumstances and read our product disclosure statement before making a decision about First State Super. Call us or visit our website for a copy. Issued by FSS Trustee Corporation ABN 11 118 202 672, AFSL 293340, the trustee of the First State Superannuation Scheme ABN 53 226 460 365. Our Growth option for super returned 7.7%. 1 year ending 30 June 2019. Chant West 2019 ‘Super Funds deliver record-breaking 10th straight positive year’. Investment returns are not guaranteed. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.