TWU MOTIONS PUT UP AT THE ALP STATE CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER

Continuity of Entitlements

Report by State Secretary TIM DAWSON

Where a WA Labor Government intends to change or issue tenders for any major contract for the provision of goods and services it should ensure that no new contract is entered into that disadvantages those employees of the outgoing contractor, with respect to employment including continuity of service and entitlements, wages and conditions and maintenance of labour levels.

Amendment

Public Education Campaign - Roadside Amenities and Facilities

In support of a safer road freight industry and supporting road freight workers right to roadside amenities and facilities a WA Labor state government will provide funding along identified road freight transport routes, particularly in regional and remote areas, to provide new and improved roadside amenities and facilities for road freight workers and owner-drivers. A WA Labor Government, in consultation with the transport industry and TWU WA Branch, will also develop a public education campaign that demonstrates why heavy vehicle drivers must have access to designated rest areas.

Amendment

Honouring Indigenous Elders and Sites at Rest Areas

In the spirit of reconciliation and in acknowledging the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community, a WA Labor Government, in consultation with Main Roads, will establish a working group, comprised of Indigenous Land Councils and Aboriginal Corporations, to rename existing rest areas in honour of past or existing Indigenous leaders and or elders. A condition of this process must ensure that 50% of the people who have a rest area named after them are women. Rest areas can also be named after important indigenous cultural sites and or landmarks.

Resolution

An Industry-Wide Skills Passport and Safe Work Certification

The Transport Workers’ Union of WA applauds a number of initiatives the McGowan State Government has enacted into law to protect workers in the State. However, there is more to be done.

The road transport sector remains one of the most critical in terms of the well-being of the State’s economy, and still has unacceptably high levels of accidents and deaths among those who work in it.

This is partly due to the fact that transport workers receive no standardised or mandated safety induction training upon their commencement in the industry, or are subject to multiple variants of training modules that are often not applicable to their local situation. A recent 2021 cross party Commonwealth Senate Committee which examined the many workplace issues in road transport across Australia concluded that in order to address the safety of all road transport operators it is essential to provide a standardised and verifiable safe work induction card and a linked skills passport for transport workers.

The Transport Workers’ Union of WA sees significant benefit in the unanimous recommendation of the Senate Inquiry to expand the existing Transport Education Audit Compliance Health Organisation’s (TEACHO) BlueCard as a means to introduce a standardised and universal safety induction unit and a skills passport for the transport and logistics sector.

The application of this BlueCard Skills Passport system that is standardised, universal and compulsory will improve accessibility, reduce training costs across the sector and lift the quality of training. This measure will also enable key road transport workers to record safety induction and training credentials as part of the Chain of Responsibility requirements and the West Australian Accreditation System.

Resolution

Portable Long Service Leave

The Transport Workers’ Union of WA applauds the McGowan State Government for enacting laws to protect the workers of this state. Transport industry workers, particularly those who work for small employers, face challenges trying to up - skill themselves and increase their employment opportunities. As a consequence, there is a significant shortage of drivers within the heavy haulage sector, as many lower skilled drivers simply do not want to lose a hard earned entitlements with their current employers.

WA Labor acknowledges the McGowan Government’s delivery of the Heavy Driving Operations Skill Set program in the metropolitan area and the expansion to the South West this year.

WA Labor calls on the McGowan Government to consider additional ways in which this issue could be addressed, to encourage workers to up skill, increase their employment opportunities and address this significant shortage experienced by the sector.

In considering this, the Government should recognise that employment incentives can play a significant role in ensuring that the industry attracts and retains transport workers in the sector. In recognising this, the McGowan Government will inquire into the viability of a portable construction long service leave scheme for workers in the transport industry.