WA Transport Magazine and readers question Tim Dawson TWU WA

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WA Transport Magazine readers question

Tim Dawson

– TWU WA

I appreciate the opportunity to answer a number of questions from your readers. I hope these answers can clear up any misinformation that has been written and spoken about in relation to what the intention of the TWU is in regard to a Safe and sustainable transport industry.

Q: How will a new RSRT system guarantee that higher rates will be applied to vehicle maintenance and other safety matters?

A: The focus of a system of Safe Rates is on safety. The implementation of this system will calculate cost recovery for maintenance, fixed costs, wages, insurance, fuel and any other overheads. The aim is to make sure that drivers and transport businesses no matter what their size are paid sufficient rates so they are not forced to cut corners on maintenance, fatigue, speeding, overloading etc. The vital part of this system will be holding wealthy retailers, mining, oil and gas, banks and manufacturing companies at the top to account for these rates. These wealthy companies must ensure they are paying sufficient rates so that their goods can be delivered safely.

The pressure on transport is real: a Macquarie University survey of truck drivers released in 2017 shows 10% work over 80 hours. It also shows one in six drivers who own their own trucks do not believe they can refuse an unsafe load and almost one in five owner drivers said they

would not report being pressured to falsify a work diary.

A Safe Work survey in 2015 showed that 31% of transport employers say workers ignore safety rules to get the job done, 20% accept dangerous behaviour, compared to less than 2% in other industries and 20% of transport industry employers break safety rules to meet deadlines – this compares with just 6% of employers in other industries.

These surveys show there are chronic problems of pressure in our industry - which can only be alleviated by targeting those piling it on: the companies at the top.

Q: I would like your feedback and thoughts on the following. As you are no doubt aware the best way for industry to make real change that benefits everyone, is to find common ground and work together. An adversarial relationship between workers and employers benefits no one. A case in point is industry working together to lift safety standards. For many years government has driven this from a regulatory and some would say dictatorial manner. This transpires into a dictatorial style of management as the constant threat of litigation is pushed back down the chain to the employee.

A: I agree that real change will only come when the transport industry stops fighting with itself. Those at the top of the supply chain and governments are only too happy for the transport industry to be pulling itself apart. Governments play the industry for

mugs and now is the time for change. We as a vital industry must unite and must speak as one voice.

As for regulation I agree that it must be the right type of regulation. Regulation aiming to make our roads safer must be preventive - we need rules that ensure drivers and transport operators can deliver goods safely so that horrific truck crashes do not occur in the first place. Regulation that tries to go back up the chain after horrific events has not worked to date and never targets the real culprits - the companies at the top. It is always drivers who cop the blame through fines or jail time. Current regulation is not making our roads safer since the top end of town dictates rates, unrealistic delivery times, and forces transport companies to cut corners. It is time the CEO’s the clients of transport companies were held accountable for the pressure that they put on them.

The transport industry is the most important industry in Australia and it is time that those who work in it appreciated that. Why is it that we think it is ok to subsidise big multinational mining and retail companies and the big banks at the expenses of transport workers safety?

Q: For many years, I along with many others have recognised a distinct shortage of skilled transport operators. This is a real safety issue for not only our workforce but also the general public which share our workplace every day. I would like your thoughts on an industry based apprenticeship which would create a

2 WATM • June 2019