General News Tram and Bus Divisional Officials meet with NSW Transport Minister Important discussions were had to address some of the most pressing issues that the Union feels should be at the top of the Minister’s list. These included: • Giving unending employee passes for STA staff. Failing that, retaining employee passes at concession rates instead of losing them entirely after two years is a fall back position. • Increasing the pay rise for drivers following State plans to privatise bus services. This is in spite of the wage freeze for public sector employees. The Union has made the case
for STA staff to receive the full 2.5% that is normally afforded them, we’ll see what reasons the Minister uses to say ‘No’. • Backdating the pay rise for any agreement reached to 1st January 2021. This looks quite promising, as both the Minister and Transport for NSW seem to be on board. Employees shouldn’t suffer because the government wanted to catch us in their wage freeze and delayed negotiations (they still haven’t started). • Getting approval for STA to bargain for the Salaried and
Bus Operator Awards ASAP. Meetings with STA and TfNSW has given us some good news on some things and the work to include our entitlements where they fall outside of the award continues, but it’s important to note that we can’t officially bargain until the government gives them permission. There’s definitely been progress with the Award process, but we’ll wait until we have things on paper before calling it a win. Members in STA should be thinking about how much they want to fight for a pay rise as this is looking to be an issue that comes to a boil early next year.
Opposition IR policy announcements Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has made a number of significant IR policy announcements, while visiting Queensland in the second week of February, with the main emphasis on measures to increase job security. Labor has targeted the Morrison Government’s Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020, which is now before the Senate and is expected to go to the vote in March The criticism has so far focused on a plan to allow the FWC to approve agreements that do not comply with the BOOT for a maximum of two years as the economy recovers from the pandemic. Albanese said the pandemic had shown strengths of Australian society
RAIL & ROAD March 2021
along with economic weaknesses in job security. “It was the most marginalised casual workers and others who were first off who got left behind. “The challenge is for us to build back stronger, for us to ensure that people aren’t left behind and that people aren’t held back. ‘Secure jobs are the key.” He said Labor will continue to oppose Morrison Government efforts to “get rid” of the BOOT test and legislated increases to the employers superannuation guarantee. Labor held a “virtual” national ALP conference in March, where unions pressed for policy commitments head of a possible federal election in the
spring of this year. Last year, the ALP published a draft national platform that pledges to ensure that workers in the gig economy earn a living wage and have access to “the same protections and standards as all Australian workers” while addressing insecure employment. “Labor will ensure that the Fair Work Act provides appropriate coverage and protection for all forms of work and that gig economy platforms and other working arrangements are not used to circumvent industrial standards or to undermine workers’ rights to collectively organise and access their union,” says the draft platform.
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