Retired Members Lash Out at Rezoning Proposal

Retired Members lash out at Rezoning proposal for the Large Erecting Shop

RTBU retired members President David Boyd has reacted angrily to proposals by Transport for NSW(TfNSW) to rezone the Large Erecting Shop at the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops for commercial and retail uses. The rezoning proposals will adopt a business park theme that would see the ground level of the workshop converted into commercial office and retail premises and the creation of two new internal “storeys.

Mr Boyd said “it is outrageous that the last surviving rail connection to the world famous heritage workshops will be obliterated if this drive for commercial gain is allowed to proceed. It will end a 123 year rail connection and will prevent future generations from seeing steam locomotives and rolling stock in the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops. They are taking the locomotive out of the Locomotive Workshops.” The Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops constructed, repaired and assembled steam locomotives for a hundred years. It was a beacon for leading edge technology and the highest standards of craftsmanship. It was an era when locomotives and rolling stock were proudly Australian made. The short sighted decision to rip up the rail link and deny historic rolling stock to be displayed in the large Erecting shop (The Large as it affectionately known by past generations of rail workers, the local community and rail heritage enthusiasts) comes from a deal between the NSW government agency and property developer Mirvac. The Large was built in 1899 to accommodate the expanding NSW railways industry. The original design of the workshop and its functions followed British rail traditions with the erecting referring to both the construction of a steam locomotive from its various component parts as well as the overhaul of a locomotive; its dismantling, repair, or reconstruction and then subsequent reassembly. The Large is one of Australia’s finest remaining railway heritage buildings. It consists of brick walls with sandstone windowsills and is divided into two enormous parallel galleries, each separated by a row of iron pillars separating it into 20 bays. The Large is unique in Australia as a complete example of this type of facility .It contains a number of architectural and operational features which are of exceptional heritage significance. The main Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop facility closed in 1985, whereas The Large continued from 1988 until 2017 as an operational rail facility which housed rail heritage operator 3801 the then operator of NSWs most famous steam locomotive. During this period The Large restored steam locomotive 3830 for the Powerhouse Museum. Retired members are incensed at the major flaws in the Rezoning process. It has excluded the hundreds of volunteers who were involved in the operation of The Large for 30 years from being consulted. The failure of the Rezoning proposal to take into account the enormous potential of cultural heritage tourism for the entire Eveleigh Railway Workshop Precinct is a serious shortcoming. Association President David Boyd condemned the role of Government bodies Heritage NSW and the Heritage Council in not being in the frontline advocating for preservation of this iconic workshop and its heritage railway operations.

David Boyd has a long association with the Large Erecting Shed as a Driver in all types of locomotive traction and is one of the most senior steam locomotive drivers in NSW. He was appointed as an Acting Driver at Eveleigh in 1973 and in 1987 a Special Class Driver. While stationed at the Parkes Depot in Western NSW in 1970 he was fireman on the steam train 3801 in its first journey to Perth in 1970 celebrating the opening of the standard gauge line between Sydney and Perth.

Our Rail Fire and Emergency Unit members perform a crucial role in responding to traumatic events around the rail network and putting their welfare at risk to keep us safe for which we a truly grateful. However, it is recognised that safety incidents can take many forms with an example occurring on 22 September 2022.

Our members from the Rail Fire and Emergency Unit were called to a car that took a wrong turn resulting in the car mounting the stairway at Kings Cross Rail Station. To the surprise of the Queensland driver, who advised that he believed the stairway was an alternative entry point to the parking station across the road that was full. The driver soon realised after he mounted the stairs going down to the station was not an option for entering the car park. On arrival, the Rail Fire and Emergency Unit set to work stabilising the car and organising a tow truck to safely remove the car.

RTBU Submission to Select Committee on the coronial jurisdiction in New South Wales

The law, practice, and operation of the Coroner’s Court have a significant impact on employees within public transportation and freight operators in a myriad of ways which include those involved directly or indirectly in a fatality such as train drivers, train guards, signallers, and station staff. This includes first responders employed within the transport cluster such as Rail, Fire, and Emergency Officers, Incident Response Officers through to safety investigators that provide reports for the coronial proceedings.

Coronial Inquests generally take significant time and are incredibly arduous for those involved in fatalities which has the potential to increase stress and add to existing trauma. A summary of the RTBU recommendations to the Select Committee is provided below:

Recommendations 1. Suppression of Names

The RTBU recommends that the Act should require the names of transport workers involved in inquests under s59 be suppressed. Inquests attract media attention, including alleged facts and interpretations reported before the coronial findings are determined.

Transport workers can suffer severe emotional distress that impacts reputations and potentially destroys careers while further impacting their health regardless of the status of the findings.

2. Streamlining of Information and Testimony

The Act should require the streamlining of information gathering processes that Transport

Workers are subjected to in an investigation. For example, currently an impacted worker involved in a rail incident must provide statements to three or four different parties, including internal investigators, Rail

Regulators, NSW Police, and SafeWork Australia.

The RTBU recommends that the process be streamlined by only requiring one statement to be provided to the Rail Regulator , with this statement then being supplied to all other bodies.

3. Coronel Investigators Training

Investigators acting on behalf of the Coroner should be trained and briefed on the appropriate rail regulations and network rules at the commencement of an investigation into a rail incident. Rail Safety regulations and network rules are very complex, and it would be beneficial to all parties to understand them.

4. Drug and Alcohol testing

That drug and alcohol testing be streamlined to one testing process. When there is a rail incident, the impacted employee can be tested up to three times which can incredibly stressful post incident.

We recommend that one drug and alcohol test be performed by the first responder, whether that be an Incident Rail Commander, NSW Police, a representative from the rail regulators, or the drug and alcohol testers contracted by the rail operator. If subsequent testing is required to confirm the result, this should be conducted by the same entity that performed the first test.

NSW Government Response

In its response to the Select Committee, the NSW Government stated that it “welcomes the Select Committee’s Report into the coronial jurisdiction in New South Wales. The Government acknowledges the contribution by individuals and organisations that participated in the inquiry, particularly families who have experienced the coronial system for sharing their views on how the coronial system can be improved.” The Government recognises the trauma and grief experienced by families and communities affected by an unexpected or unexplained death and that the coronial jurisdiction must not add to this burden. It is critical that these important services are delivered in a professional, therapeutic and timely manner, which upholds the dignity of the deceased person and ensures respect for their family and friends. The Government also acknowledges the importance of coronial processes being culturally safe and responsive to First Nations families, and effective in preventing the future loss of life for First Nations people. Within this context, the Government notes the commencement in April 2022 of the State Coroner’s Protocol – Supplementary arrangements applicable to section 23 deaths involving First Nations Peoples, which sets out arrangements for the case management of mandated inquests in respect of First Nations people. Initially commencing ahead of and later running in parallel with the work of the Select Committee, the Government established the Timeliness of Coronial Procedures Taskforce (Taskforce), whose aim was to reduce delays in the coronial system and improve the experiences of families. The Taskforce’s work has since resulted in the implementation of a range of initiatives to improve the timeliness of the coronial process, especially in relation to post-mortem investigations, and streamline early case management processes. The Government has also boosted investment in the coronial jurisdiction to strengthen outcomes for families, reduce the number of preventable deaths, improve timeliness and support culturally safe and responsive processes. Following an investment of in the 2021-22 State Budget, an additional magistrate was assigned exclusively to the coronial jurisdiction, and additional resourcing was provided to the Coronial Case Management Unit to reduce delays and improve information and support for families. Two Aboriginal Coronial Information and Support Officer positions have also been established to improve support for First Nations families. The Government has carefully considered the report and is pleased to support or support in principle 15 recommendations and to note 20 recommendations.”

Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill Will Attempt to Close Gender Pay Gap

The Albanese Government has confirmed its Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill introduced into Parliament in late October will include measures to close the gender pay gap.

Just as Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke used his first announcement after being sworn in to single out the gender pay gap as a “top priority” for the Albanese Government, the first element he has revealed of the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill is how it will help close the gap. Confirming that the Federal Government will introduce legislation that delivers on a “range of commitments” that Labor made at the May election and at its Jobs and Skills Summit, he says the Bill is the “first tranche” of IR reforms designed to modernise Australia’s workplace relations system and get wages moving. “Women should not be paid less than men – it’s that simple,” Minister Burke says, adding that this is why “gender pay equity will be at the centre of our workplace reforms”. Announcing measures that were already listed in September as “complementary existing commitments” in the summit outcomes paper, he confirmed the Bill includes: banning pay secrecy clauses so that companies cannot prohibit staff from talking about their pay if they want to, in order to improve transparency, reduce the risk of gender pay discrimination and empower women to ask their employers for pay rises; making gender equity a central objective of the Fair Work Act, including the modern award system, to put the issue “at the heart of pay decisions” made by the FWC; establishing two new FWC expert panels on pay equity and the care and community sector, to tackle low pay and conditions in the female-dominated care sector and help attract and retain workers; making it easier for the FWC to order pay increases for workers in low-paid, female-dominated industries by putting in place a statutory Equal Remuneration Principle like that which exists in Queensland. Burke says that under the current federal system, equal remuneration orders are “costly, time consuming, highly adversarial and overwhelmingly ineffective”, with only one successful equal pay order produced from 21 applications since 1994. The new principle will also clarify that “gender-based assumptions must not be taken into account in assessing work value”, he says. The ACTU in 2018 released a blueprint for “deep structural reform” to improve the lot of working women, calling for a FWC pay equity panel and a series of “Pay Equity Principles” to be legislated and followed by the FWC, based on the model set out in the Queensland IR Act. It called for the ditching of requirements for a “male comparator” to prove work is undervalued on gender grounds, and measures to ensure the FWC is required – rather than just permitted – to make an Equal Remuneration Order when the legislative conditions are met, as occurs under ss248 and 249 of the Queensland Act. Burke says Labor has made a “deliberate decision to support workers in female-dominated professions who have been underpaid and undervalued for too long”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at his first public appearance after taking office said he would set about implementing an agenda that includes putting in place all of Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins’ remaining recommendations in her Respect@Work report and bringing forward its policy to extend and increase child care subsidies and its aged care policy, which supports an unspecified pay rise in the female- dominated sector. The Jobs and Skills Summit outcomes document said the Government would take immediate action to ensure workers and businesses “have flexible options for reaching agreements, including removing unnecessary limitations on access to single and multi-employer agreements”.

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