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Tram & Bus News
The RTBU met with management representatives on 16 and 23 February 2022 to continue negotiations for the Keolis Downer Newcastle Bus Operations Enterprise Agreement 2021. The last 3 EA meetings have centred around the Log of Claims along with Keolis Downer’s position for each claim. They have been categorised as follows: Agreed in-principle, rejected, further review and financial claim except for the last claim which is for “real” pay increases and will involve further discussion at the next EA meeting. A full list of all items under negotiation and their status and categorisation can be found on Tram & Bus Express. Keolis Downer have toldthe Negotiating Committee that all financial claims will be considered by Keolis Downer as part of any overall package offered.
Region 9 transfer
Things are going to plan so far and the RTBU and Transdev have reached an in-principle agreement on the draft EA. As we work through the details, members have been encouraged to return the paperwork that was sent out to them by the company. A with Region 8 (Northern Beaches), an informal vote prior to transition will be held to give members a chance to provide feedback on the state of the draft EA. Pending member endorsement, the company will offer the agreed on draft for a formal vote once they take over. If that is ratified by workers then Region 9 will inherit the STA Award in the form of a federal Enterprise Agreement. The union will have then avoided a two-tiered workplace and preserved conditions which are the two things members have consistently said they want.
Region 7 bargaining
After discussions with the union, Busways has agreed to try and negotiate a single agreement with a single set of conditions. This was after they had set up a two-tiered workplace. If we can come to a negotiated settlement by the end of the year, they have agreed to apply to have the Greenfield removed and the back-up EA annulled. Busways has now issued the NERR (paperwork telling workers in region 7 about the bargaining process). This went out in the middle of February and means that we can now move forward with formal bargaining. A Log of Claims is being compiled after consultation with the members and the results of that will guide the union in what we fight for. The likely outcome here is somewhere in between the drag and drop in Regions 8 & 9, and the horror-show in Region 6. We should be able to preserve some conditions but not all. The first bargaining meeting is set for Friday March 25th 2022.
CMET organising
Workers in Canberra Trams are being organised in preparation for the negotiation of an Enterprise Agreement to replace the Greenfield Agreement currently in place. CMET was caught up in the demarcation dispute between the RTBU & TWU which has since been settled. The Tram & Bus division is committed to ensuring that workers in CMET are given the servicing and attention the workplace deserves and moving forward to negotiate a positive outcome and better conditions.
Region 6 negotiations
The RTBU & TWU continue our combined efforts to end the twotiered workplace set up by Transit Systems and the Liberal NSW government in the inner west of Sydney. After over 3 years of Transit Systems milking workers for every drop of profit they can, both unions have taken significant combined industrial action over the past 6 months. The company is holding to its line of maintaining the twotiered system while the unions are fighting for ‘Same Job, Same Pay’. The next few months will bring more industrial action to try and pressure the company into genuinely negotiating instead of the refusing to entertain any compromise on important matters. Once again, the government has screwed over workers and it’s up to unions to try and fix it.
