2018 Rail and Road - December Edition

VOLUME 110 No.4 December 2018

AND

RAILROAD THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW BRANCH OF THE RAIL, TRAM & BUS UNION

Merry Chistmas and a Happy New Year to all RTBU Members and their Families

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NSW BRANCH Head Office Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Tel (02) 92642511 Fax (02) 92611342 Email nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au Website www.rtbuexpress.com.au

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Tram and Bus Division 83-89 Renwick Street Redfern NSW 2016 Tel (02) 93197277 Fax (02) 93194341 Email info@rtbu-nswbus.asn.au

Locomotive Division

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RAILROAD

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Level 4, 321 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel (02) 92643400 Fax (02) 92647679 Email nswloco@rtbu-nsw.asn.au

Newcastle Office 33 Gordon Avenue, Hamilton NSW 2303 Tel (02) 4961 4311 Fax (02) 4961 4779 Email newcastle@rtbu-nsw.asn.au

Wollongong Office Level 1, 306a Crown Street, Wollongong, 2500 Tel (02) 4227 5798 Email wollongong@rtbu-nsw.asn.au

Branch Executive Secretary Alex Claassens President Joanne McCallum Assistant Secretary (Road) Vacant Assistant Secretary (Rail) Robert Hayden

Elected Full-Time Officials Branch Secretary Alex Claassens Locomotive Divisional Secretary Robert Hayden Tram and Bus Divisional Secretary David Babineau Tram and Bus Divisional President Daniel Jaggers

Organisers

Director of Organising Alison Rudman Freight Organisers Steve Wright

RAIL & ROAD is the official journal of the NSW Branch of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and is produced as part of the union’s communication strategy to inform and report on matters of interest to members.

All editorial and advertising inquiries should be addressed to Peter O’Connor Telephone: 0430 188 116 e-mail: unionnetwork@bigpond.com Printing - Brightset, Banksmeadow, (02) 9316 4800 Art & Design - P Design - proberson@hotmail.com - Phone 0402 032 949

Kevin Pryor

Passenger Organiser Bob Newham Branch Organisers Helen Bellette

Mick Cartwright Luke Hayden Trent Hunter Industrial Officers Lizanne Bennett

Jessica Epps

(Locomotive Division) Communications Officer Peter O’Connor

From the Branch Secretary After two hard years of negotiations with NSW Trains and campaigning in the community, we’ve forced the Government to commit to keeping guards on the New InterCity Fleet (NIF). For two years the project team have been doing everything they can to introduce the new trains without guards, but now, we’ve stopped them.

As part of the RTBU’s long-running campaign to keep guards on the New InterCity Fleet on Monday 22 October we joined with the 2018 Blind Australian of the Year, Martin Stewart, and held a media event with the Transport Minister on his plans to remove guards from our trains.

This is a mighty win for everyone involved, particularly for our guards who were facing the removal of their jobs from the end of next year.

Our drivers can rest assured that the trains will continue to operate with the assistance of the guards, and commuters can look forward to catching a train without fear. Martin Stewart’s story is a tragic example of exactly what can happen when you remove guards from trains.

Congratulations to the delegates from Loco and Rail Operations that stood together in this very hard fought win.

Negotiations on further details of the NIF rollout will continue and as

always, we will keep members up to date with more information as we get it.

There have been a number of actions at Aurizon and ARTC in the past few months, involving members fighting to ensure fair and reasonable outcomes from these enterprise agreement negotiations. The solidarity and determination of members have ensured that hard fought working conditions have been defended and safeguarded.

A congratulations is also in order for all members who showed up and made their voices heard at the Newcastle and Sydney the Change the Rules events. It was fantastic to see so many members in Sydney marching loud and proud in our RTBU colours. If you missed this event, don’t worry as there will be more to come, so stay tuned on RTBU Express.

As members would be aware, the recent union elections conducted by the AEC had a number of issues and procedural glitches, resulting in incorrect ballot papers being issued, and in some instances recall elections for some positions. While these have mostly been sorted out, it made the election process confusing and frustrating for many members. The Union Executive will put aside time in

the new year to review and consider any changes that can improve this situation in future.

I would also like to congratulate and welcome all those officers who have either been re-elected or newly elected by members. Strong and effective representation is key to everything we do as a union, and I look forward to working with the new team in protecting and defending members’ interests into the future.

Due to the delays in finalising the union elections, we have not been able to have Branch Council or Union Executive meetings during that time, and have had to re-do our union diaries to update with current information. Unfortunately, this has lead to the diaries and the Rail & Road being mailed out later than usual.

As we move into the summer holiday period, to those members who have to provide vital transport services during the break, I wish them a safe working environment. I would also like to extend the best wishes of the Union Executive, officers and staff to members and their families for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

In this Issue Industrial News ARTC Workers Forced to Walk off Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Aurizon EA Accepted by Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Industrial Notes QUBE EA Negotiations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Southern Shorthaul EA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sydney Trains Infrastructure Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 General News RTBU Election Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Winning Fight to Keep Guards on Trains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 RTBU Seeks to Maintain Coverage of Bus Operators. . . . . . . . . 12

Our Transport – Epping to Chatswood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Life and Times of Desmond Fitzgerald. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Push for Paid Domestic Violence Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Womens Rights at Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Lest We Forget Fallen Railway Workers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Campaign Trail Fix Our Transport Lantern Walk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Change the Rules Rallies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Whistlestop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 RTBU Festive Season Office Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Industrial News ARTC workers forced to walk off the job as corporation attacks working conditions Workers at the Australian Rail and Track Corporation (ARTC) have agreed to the latest Enterprise Agreement.

Employees were forced to walk off the job earlier in July, following management’s refusal to provide the workers – who are responsible for keeping our railways safe – with a fair and reasonable enterprise agreement.

ARTC members at depots across NSW, took part in three 24 hour stoppages. The protected industrial action followed a five-hour stoppage the workers took part in the previous week.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens, at the time of the actions, said workers had been forced to take protected industrial action following ARTC’s refusal to bargain reasonably as part of current enterprise agreement negotiations. Negotiations for a new enterprise agreement had been ongoing since late 2016.

“All ARTC workers were asking for were fair wages and conditions, but at the time, ARTC management were refusing to provide that,” Mr Claassens said.

“It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to get to the point of taking protected industrial action, but ARTC management left us with no choice.

“These workers keep our railways safe. They maintain our track and railway infrastructure to the highest standard. They deserve to be fairly compensated for the vital work they do.

“Management at this federal government corporation were

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refusing to budge on vital issues, like allowances. We had a situation where workers who are forced to spend long periods of time away from home in order to maintain track in regional and remote areas of the state weren’t provided with an allowance that adequately covers the costs of living away from home.

“Workers can’t simply sit by and let ARTC management eat away at their living wage.

“No one ever wants to take protected industrial action, but until ARTC management were prepared to come to the table with a fair offer, we didn’t have any choice.

“We believe that the EA approved by members goes a long way to addressing the major concerns during the negotiations, and has resulted in a fair outcome for a dedicated workforce, who can get back to doing what they do best keeping our railways safe.”

EA Vote Update November 2018 Congratulations to members around the state. Despite management’s schemes to cut your conditions, you have stood strong for over 2 years and forced them into an Agreement that secures current conditions and includes some improvements.

This change was only possible because you were strong and united and took action.

The results of the Agreement ballot are are in with 80% of employees voting. 81% of employees who participated voted to accept the new Agreement. That means the document will be filed with the Fair Work Commission and come into effect 7 days after it is approved by the Commission.

Special congratulations to all the delegates and activists who stepped up to lead during this campaign. It is only through your leadership that we were able to remain active and united.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

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Merry Christmas and a

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RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Aurizon EA Accepted After a series of industrial actions, following months of lengthy negotiations, members have voted YES to accept the Agreed in Principle Aurizon NSW Coal Operations Enterprise Agreement 2018.

The result of the Ballot was as follows:• From the 309 employees on the roll of eligible voters:132 voted YES to approve the proposed Agreement (59.73% of voters).

• 89 voted NO to reject the proposed Agreement (40.27% of voters).

• 221 employees (71.52%) registered a vote.

Some of the matters finally resolved after more than 9 months of negotiations and ultimately industrial action, to unlock the impasse, include: • 2.5% pay increase per year for 3 years • 3 year term of the Agreement from Certification by Fair Work Australia • Co- drafted clause to be included in appendix 6.

“The company will not implement or install any video or voice recording equipment in locomotive over the term of this Agreement (excluding external forward-facing camera)”.

• Aurizon DOO Shunt definition including in Definitions & Interpretations • Modified provisioning definition • Words in Cab Standard appendix re Toilets and contractor cleaning • Words included in definitions explaining external forward facing camera The document will now be prepared along with the necessary paperwork from both the RTBU & Aurizon and submitted to Fair Work Australia for their approval & certification.

All RTBU Locomotive Division members who fought for their conditions should be proud of the outcome that has been achieved. The strength and solidarity of all RTBU Locomotive Division members who took part in the industrial action is what ultimately led Aurizon to coming back to the table and conceding to inserting the

words into the enterprise agreement that they previously stated would never go into the document. This only goes to show that we are more powerful when we are united and that our strength is in our solidarity and our collective voice. The workers united will never be defeated!

Thank you also to our visitors to our peaceful assemblies, the RTBU Executive, fellow organisers and members, and to the supporters who have sent their best wishes or dropped in to say hello and offer support from other unions and industry union members.

Aurizon EA Postscript The Aurizon EA was rejected by The Fair Work Commission due to incorrect paperwork being lodged (Notice of Representational Rights). The union met with the company to resolve this matter.

The Notice of Representational Rights was reissued on 12 November for 14 days. We raised our concerns about delays in the process and after discussions between the parties, we agreed to take the following proposal to members for consideration: · Back pay to be paid from 10th November 2018 (when EA would have been certified) · $2500.00 cash payment to all employees covered under the agreement. · Deploy all conditions of the Agreed in Principle EA on confirmation of a yes vote. · Nominal expiry date of the Enterprise Agreement of 10th November 2021.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

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Industrial Notes

QUBE EA Negotiations Update On Tuesday, November 13th, RTBU Locomotive Division delegates and officials met with QUBE Management to continue to negotiate the EA. During this meeting, QUBE Management highlighted some items in their log of claims that could reduce pay and conditions.

There are still outstanding issues around rostering, duty cycle ands pay increases that will need to be discussed further at future meetings While nothing has been agreed to, the following proposals are very concerning, and have been rejected by the RTBU member negotiation committee.

These items included: • A reduction of 2 hours for the “Golden Weekend” with finish time being changed from 1600hrs to 1800hrs. This means that the weekend will start a lot later.

• A reduction of hours accrued for an Amex job. This means if a job is cancelled then their members accrue 6 hours towards duty cycle, instead of the 7.6 in the current agreement.

• QUBE wants to remove the members standalone payment of their 7.6 hours they currently receive if your RDO falls on a public holiday, or they move their RDO to a public holiday.

To fight these outrageous claims from QUBE we need to be strong and united.

Now is the time to join or encourage your workmates to join the RTBU. Not a member? Then join today! If you have any questions, please contact your local Delegate or the RTBU Head Office on (02) 9264 3400.

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Southern Shorthaul Railway – EA Negotiations After members/employees had their say and voted down the proposed Company Enterprise Agreement 63 to 39, the RTBU Locomotive Division met with SSR management on 15 November to progress negotiations.

While we are waiting for confirmation on some items discussed, there still remain a number of matters that are not resolved. These include: • Payment for Duty Free Periods • Allocation of Duty Free Periods • Length of Duty Cycles • Pay Increase • Termination and Pro Rata Duty Cycle Payments • Trauma Leave • Overtime Rates Once we receive SSR’s response on the outstanding items, we will seek the feedback of the members so as to decide what our next steps will be.

Sydney Trains Infrastructure workers: Review of Work Group & Team Leader Pay Anomalies During the negotiations for the 2018 Sydney Trains Enterprise Agreement, the RTBU log of claims for Sydney Trains to review the pay levels of members who are Work Group Leaders (WGL) and Team Leaders (TL). This is because your workload and responsibilities have increased and your pay and grading have not.

In November, your RTBU representatives met with management to hear their position. Sydney Trains informed us that they have conducted a review and formed an opinion that the anomalies are justified by the different competencies that people doing the WGL and TL roles hold.

Your representatives said to management that they do not have all the facts and that they need to meet with you and your workmates who actually perform these duties to better understand why doing the same work for different grades is so unfair.

Management has agreed to meet with your workmates who are subject matter experts on this issue. We will keep you updated as those representatives get involved and hopefully we can meet again before Christmas.

If you have any questions about this process please contact Jonathan Parker on 0418 166 742 or infrastructure@rtbu-nsw.asn.au

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

General News Election Results - RTBU Executive The members of the RTBU NSW Branch Executive elected during the recent RTBU Elections are as follows.

For details of all elected positions within the NSW Branch see rtbuexpress.com.au

Branch Executive

Branch President Joanne MacCallum

Branch Secretary Alex Claassens

Assistant Branch Secretary - Rail Robert Hayden

Branch President (Honorary)

Joanne McCallum

Branch Secretary

Alex Claassens

Assistant Branch Secretary Rail (Honorary)

Robert Hayden

Assistant Branch Secretary Road (Honorary)

Vacant

Locomotive Divisional President

Brett Rosser

Locomotive Divisional Secretary

Robert Hayden

Tram & Bus Divisional President

Daniel Jaggers

Tram & Bus Divisional Secretary

David Babineau

Infrastructure Divisional President

Michael Sullivan

Infrastructure Divisional Secretary

Scott Wilson

Administrative, Supervisory Technical and Professional Divisional President

Stephen Priestley

Administrative, Supervisory Technical and Professional Divisional Secretary

Usufono Tooa Filipo

Fleet Manufacture, Overhaul, Maintenance and Service Divisional President

Bronwyn Kelly

Fleet Manufacture, Overhaul, Maintenance and Service Divisional Secretary

Nyssa Parsons

Rail Operations Divisional President

Mick Sullivan

Rail Operations Divisional Secretary

Craig Turner

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

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Bussies for Bales!

Checkout the great fundraiser that our members in Newcastle are involved in.

The Bussies for Bales fundraiser is an initiative started by a Newcastle bus driver, John Wagner to assist our drought affected farmers around the state. The donations will go towards purchasing bales of hay to feed the starving animals.

It’s fantastic to see our members getting active and supporting this worthy cause.

Our farmers are in desperate need of help.

Congratulations to all involved, with a special congrats to our Belmont RTBU delegate Robin O’Donoghue for organising donations.

Newcastle bus depots have been raising money for their local farmers in the Upper Hunter region. The donations being collected at depots by the Bussies for Bales organisers are being directed to Rural Aid “Buy a Bale” campaign to purchase the bales for the farmers.

We encourage all members across the state to be a part of this great fundraising initiative “Bussies for Bales” and donate to our farmers in need. The best way to donate is by going to this unique link for the Bussies for Bales initiative which will track how much money we raise! https://goo.gl/YB6Xg9?62562

Winning the fight to keep guards on our trains As part of the RTBU’s long-running campaign to keep guards on the New InterCity Fleet we joined with the 2018 Blind Australian of the Year, Martin Stewart, on Monday 22 October.

Martin Stewart, who lost his arm and leg in an accident on a guardless train in Victoria, contacted the RTBU after hearing about the NSW Government’s plans to remove guards from the NIF and offered to do whatever he could to ensure the dangerous move didn’t go ahead.

Prior to the press conference, the RTBU arranged a meeting between Martin Stewart and Minister Constance so that Martin could share his story. This came just a few weeks after Craig Turner, RTBU NSW Secretary for Rail Operations, gave Minister Constance a tour of what guards really do on trains so he could see firsthand why they are so vital to a successful and safe transport network.

At the last minute, Minister

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Constance decided to join us at our press conference to announce that, after years of RTBU campaigning, he had decided that it was not safe to remove guards from our trains.

Alex Claassens, RTBU Secretary, told the media it was a big relief to hear the Minister confirm that guards will not be removed from the trains.

“Train guards play a vital role in keeping commuters safe. They assist people with a disability and the less-able to use our public transport services, they ensure the safety of passengers on our trains, they assist in the event of an emergency, and they keep our trains running on time,” Mr Claassens said.

“Removing guards from our trains would have been a disaster.”

“The Transport Minister, to his credit, has listened carefully to the workers and stepped in and put a stop to a potentially disastrous situation.”

Alex Claassens said that while the announcement was a great win, the RTBU focus now will be on holding the Minister to his promise.

“We will be holding the Minister to his promise, as will the travelling public who understand the vital importance of having guards on our trains.”

On behalf of the RTBU NSW, we’d like to thank Martin Stewart for coming to Sydney to share his story which helped to achieve this incredible win for commuters and workers.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

‘Crush capacity’ : To Worsen on Sydney’s light rail A Sydney Morning Herald report in August, by Transport Reporter Matt O’Sullivan, stated that the number of passengers enduring “crush capacity” on Sydney’s inner west light rail line or being left behind on platforms will worsen unless the Berejiklian government buys more trams to boost the frequency of services, “sensitive” documents warn.

And even if new trams are bought, it will be up to three years before they are running on the line because of the length of time it takes to procure and commission them.

The confidential government reports, obtained by the Herald using freedom of information laws, warn the existing fleet of 12 trams will “likely not meet forecast patronage growth” over the next two years, and commuters will “require alternative transport options” along parts of the rail corridor.

“Patronage growth shows that by 2021 most, if not all, services will be at crush capacity under the current eight-minute headway arrangement,” one of the documents states.

They reveal that buying four extra trams will be only a short-term fix.

An upgrade to parts of the line will be needed before service frequencies can be raised to meet longer-term demand.

Patronage on the 12.8-kilometre light rail line between Central Station to Dulwich Hill has surged by more than 260 per cent from 3.9 million trips in the 2013-14 financial year, to more than 9.4 million in 2016-17.

And modelling by the state’s transport agency forecasts patronage to grow by 8 per cent annually over the next three years, due mainly to high-rise apartment developments.

It predicts a 47 per cent surge in patronage during the peak-hour period by 2021 to almost 4400 people, and 73 per cent by 2031 to nearly 5200.

A “final business case” outlining the need for more trams, completed late last year, warns that “without a shortterm increase in capacity, customer experience will fall due to increased wait times between services and overcrowding”.

“There is a significant risk that the current fleet size cannot accommodate the forecast growth in demand ... without a significant fall in customer experience,” it states.

While it got a better rap from commuters than other public transport, the light rail line had a “noticeable downturn in customer satisfaction over the past 12 to 18 months”.

“The deterioration in customer

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

experience is expected to accelerate if these problems are not addressed,” the report marked “sensitive” states.

The existing fleet of 12 trams allows a maximum frequency during peak periods of one service every eight minutes, which the reports warn is “quickly becoming inadequate”.

Under the “potential short-term” fix, buying four new trams would allow a service to run every six minutes. That would be the “maximum level that can be used on the existing infrastructure”.

But to meet demand beyond 2024, “all long-term scenarios” will need extra track to be laid near Dulwich Hill, power supply and stabling yards upgraded, and investigating whether trams that will be used on the $2.1 billion CBD and South East light rail line can also run passengers services on the inner west line. The latter is stymied by “contract limitations”.

The length of platforms on the inner west line, as well as the stabling yards, also restrict the introduction of longer trams to carry more passengers.

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RTBU seeks to maintain coverage of outsourced public transport service The Fair Work Commission has reserved its decision on competing TWU and RTBU applications to cover Transport for NSW bus services transferred to private operator Transit Systems.

The TWU’s advocate, barrister Mark Gibian, told Senior Deputy President Hamberger at a hearing in Sydney last month that if his client’s bid got up “it would have the effect that the state-registered RTBU of New South Wales would cease to be covered by the copied stated

award and, rather, instead, the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia would be”.

“The effect of the RTBU’s application is that it’s a federally-registered union and it would instead of the TWU replace the state-registered RTBU as the organisation covered by the copied state award.”

The new operator, Transit Systems, took over 1200 drivers and 600 buses within “region 6” of the State Transit Authority’s bus network.

Town Hall station overcrowding to force staff to slow access at peak Transport Reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald Matt O’Sullivan recently reported on overcrowding on Sydney train stations Pressure on Sydney’s Town Hall train station, in particular, has grown significantly during peak periods due to a 23 per cent surge in passengers in just three years, raising the prospect of staff limiting access to platforms more often to avoid severe overcrowding.

The growth underscores the demands on Sydney’s already stretched rail network from a population boom and more commuters switching to trains to avoid congested roads during peak periods.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins warned that staff would have to slow access at Town Hall more regularly during peak periods because the station was reaching capacity. It meant passengers might have to wait five or 10 minutes until platforms were “clear and safe”.

“It doesn’t mean to say we have rail chaos. It means we’re just managing people through the station,” he said.

Mr Collins said there was “very little” room to expand the capacity of Town Hall in Sydney’s CBD because foundations from large buildings sat either side of the underground station.

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“[But] there are opportunities for us to consider whether we can look at another exit or entrance or look at whether there are better choices for people to make that journey to Central Station or to Wynyard,” he said.

Station staff have on occasions slowed passengers from accessing platforms on days when an incident on the rail network causes delays and crowds build.

Mr Collins said a major surge in

passengers at Town Hall during peak periods – especially evenings – was partly due to a near doubling in people catching trains to and from fast- growing suburbs such as Mascot and the Green Square precinct in Sydney’s inner south.

Passengers passing through Town Hall station’s gates reached 68 million in the 12 months to June, a 23 per cent rise on the 55 million passengers in the 2015-16 financial year. That equates to about 13 million extra passengers at Town Hall.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Our Transport - Epping to Chatswood RTBU members and staff were out and about on Monday October 3rd handing out information about the Our Transport campaign to commuters. Our Transport is a commuter hub run by the RTBU as a place for commuters to voice their concerns and campaign on public transport issues that matter to them. There are now over 9,000 Our Transport commuters who have joined the campaign for better, safer public transport.

Recently, commuters used the Our Transport website to send a message to Minister Constance to keep guards on our trains. This public pressure contributed greatly to

the recent announcement by the Minister that he won’t remove our guards.

With the closure of the Epping to Chatswood rail line, we’re encouraging all commuters to join the Our Transport campaign and tell the Premier and Transport Minister how the closure has impacted them. It’s important to remind the Government of the political cost of its reckless and greedy privatisation agenda, and to give commuters a platform to voice their concerns that would otherwise go unheard.

Tell the Premier and Transport Minister how line closure has impacted you The NSW Government has closed the Epping to Chatswood rail line, ripping it up, and selling it on to a foreign company – all at the expense of the travelling public.

There’s no rationale for this disastrous move, which is about to turn parts of Sydney into commuter hell for at least seven months. The existing rail line is relatively new compared with other rail lines and functions well.

The closure is forcing an extra 110 buses every hour in peak periods onto Sydney’s already congested roads, and will have a ripple effect by forcing other commuters onto the currently overflowing Strathfleld line to get to the Sydney CBD.

While most countries around the world are looking at ways to improve transport for commuters, the NSW Government seems more preoccupied with finding ways to use our transport system to further its fixation with privatisation.

We should be adding capacity to our transport network, not reducing it or making it more congested.

Commuters deserve to be outraged.

Send a message to the Premier and Transport Minister telling them how the rail line closure has impacted you and your commute via the OUR TRANSPORT website at www.ourtransport.org.au

To all RTBU Members and their families

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year

www.locoexpress.com.au

Station staff rewarded after handing in a wallet bursting with cash The Daily Mail recently reported on the honesty of two rail workers when they handed in a cash filled wallet.

Two employees have been honoured at Sydney Trains customer service awards Fahd Elshorafa and Naresh Awal found a bag at North Strathfield station in March The bag contained a Chinese passport, $30,000 and a money exchange receipt Pair used detective skills to track down owner who didn’t realise money was lost.

Fahd Elshorafa and Naresh Awal from Sydney Trains noticed an unattended bag at North Strathfield station on March 8.

The pair used their detective skills to track down the owner.

They were honoured for their efforts at the Sydney Trains customer service awards and received the ‘beyond brilliant’ award.Two Sydney Train employees were honoured at the Sydney Trains customer service awards for returning almost $30,000 to its rightful owner.

Fahd Elshorafa and Naresh Awal from Sydney Trains noticed the unattended bag at North Strathfield station on March 8.

The mysterious bag contained a Chinese passport belonging to 34-year-old man and a receipt from an Auburn money exchange - which became key clues for their

investigation.

The pair were ‘anxious’ about the discovery and decided to call the money exchange in a bid to alert the passenger about the loss.

‘We were thinking the customer must be really distressed, so I was really trying to figure out how to get it back to them,’ Mr Awal said.

The man was unaware he had lost his money but was thankful for the efforts of the Sydney Trains

employees.

The man broke down at the station and continued to repeat ‘thank you’.

Mr Awal said the man offered to give the pair a reward for their findings which they kindly denied.

Mr Elshorafa and Mr Awal were commended for their ‘integrity’ and ‘honesty’ by Transport Minister Andrew Constance.

The man had exchanged the money to fund tuition costs in Australia.

Get on the BUS EXPRESS! Bus Express is constantly updated with new information from around the depots – including workplace disputes, industry updates and news about RTBU Members.

Members who subscribe to the web site get a fortnightly email with links to all the latest scoops. Printed newsletters will also be distributed around depots.

www.busexpress.com.au Page 14

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

The Life and Times of Desmond R Fitzgerald: “Train Driver Extraordinaire” At a recent well attended meeting of the RTBU NSW Branch Retired Members Association member Des Fitzgerald explained that he had written a book of his life which primarily focussed on his many and varied experiences in the locomotive grades over an almost 40 year career before retirement in 1990.

Retired members applauded his tenacious efforts to bring his experiences to life and urged members and railway industry employees generally to document their experiences as railway workers .This is a valuable endeavour which enriches the traditions of unionism and camaraderie in the workplace, assists in explaining the tsunami of technological and structural change in our industry and shines a light for his family’s future generations on what his world as an enginemen was like “ long after I have worked my last “Biggen” and gone to the big house in the sky”.

The book is interspersed with poems, some written by anonymous railway workers, which point to a continuity of a bush worker tradition and celebrate or commiserate the difficulties, challenges, dangers and disappointments of working as an engineman and provide a backdrop to the hours spent in austere barracks sharing a meal from a communal pot aided and abetted by a few coldies.

The memoir is divided into a number of sections which outline his family background and his experiences growing up in various rural towns as his policemen father was promoted and the family moved to several rural town including Fermont, Bowraville, Armidale and Walgett. As a child growing up in the depression years he considers his life as very fortunate.

His observations about country towns of the period, the changes from horse and dray to motorised transport, the introduction of cotton farming and its impact on the rural workforce, the pressures faced by small communities in maintaining their viability, the plight of aboriginal communities and the harsh regime imposed on the

unemployed speak of a man with deep humanitarian convictions and love of family and friends.

The memoirs description of the working life of engineman, the physical arduousness of the job, the capacities and foibles of various steam locomotives, the attributes of “gun drivers” who made the most difficult task seem easy , the vicissitudes of working over different terrains , down to the qualities of various types of coals in use in the southern , western and northern districts speak volumes of his lengthy experience gained in an occupation which until the late 1980s did not have recognised training and career paths.

Des makes a number of interesting observations about the culture of the 1950s where the older drivers discouraged the participation of the younger drivers, where the the Government sponsored NUR, formed as a consequence of the 1917 strike continued to be detested by fellow workers and where industrial action was discouraged by the old cry “we can’t embarrass the Labor Party”.

In the 1960s Des became involved in the Unions Lithgow Branch holding a number of positions.

Branch officers attended the pay lines collecting union’s dues, levies or special efforts to assist members who may have experienced financial hardship. Disciplinary matters were a staple of union work at the branch level. Monthly conferences were held with the District Locomotive Engineer. The most consistent issue related to rostering and equalisation of time. The conditions of the era were primitive, the barracks were far from hotel standards, no substantial rostering codes of practice existed, social and sporting opportunities were extremely limited, superannuation was minimal although better than many industries were it wouldn’t be introduced by union straggles for another generation and in the case of health failure members went back to the award rate of pay, a significant financial penalty.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

His personal career highlight was becoming a qualified fireman on the 57 and 58 class locomotives over the Blue Mountains. Des argues the skills of a locomotive fireman were as much brains as brawn. In the mountains the crews revelled in the challenges posed by a misty, light rain with a full load and maximum length over one of the most difficult operating environments in Australia.

He describes the drive by women, led by Janet Oakden, to break into the male bastion of locomotive driver.

Times were a changing as a new Wran led Labor government swept to power bringing in an era of antidiscrimination laws and changing social attitudes, the time for change had come.

In the late 1970s he transferred to electric train running home station first at Flemington and latter at Penrith.

At the ETR it felt like another world particularly because of the sense of isolation. He became involved in the union once again serving as sub branch President and a member of the ETR Committee. In 1988 he was promoted to a supervisory position based at Central. Like many working railwaymen, Des didn’t enjoy being cooped up in an office much. He retired in 1990.

Des believes that retirement is a time to reflect on one’s lifetime’s efforts and his book is a worthy testament to a lifetime spent in the railways. It is hoped it encourages and inspires other rail workers to take up the pen or computer keyboard to add to the history of working life and railway unionism.

Page 15

States, Human Rights Commission push for paid domestic violence leave Labor states and the Human Rights Commission have urged the Federal Government to amend its domestic violence leave legislation to provide paid leave.

In its submission to the Senate inquiry into the Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018, the Queensland Government accuses the Federal Government of proceeding with the legislation for unpaid leave before meeting its consultation obligations under the intergovernmental agreement that underpins the states’ referral of their IR powers to Canberra.

The Palasczczuk Government said that following a meeting between the states and the then federal workplaces minister Craig Laundy on August 2 at which he sought technical comment on the legislation’s drafting, Queensland restated its position in favour of 10 days paid leave, with the support of Victoria’s Andrews Government.

But the new Federal IR Minister, Kelly O’Dwyer, failed to respond until September 12, the day before she introduced the legislation to parliament.

“The Queensland Government is concerned that there has been insufficient genuine consultation with referring states and the broader community on the Bill,” the submission says.

Queensland says it was the first state to legislate paid domestic violence leave and advocates that the Federal Government adopt its legislative provisions for 10 days paid leave, at sections 52 to 54 of the State IR Act. It acknowledges that the proposed Federal legislation seeks to reflect the Fair Work Commission’s determination in the four-yearly review of awards, but says Canberra “should not consider itself bound in any way to adopt only the unpaid leave entitlement”, noting the ruling had been made in the context of the modern awards objective.

The same constraints don’t apply with the NES and should be “the subject of separate broad consultation”.

The Queensland Council of Unions says it is not aware of “any problems” with the operation of the State’s paid domestic violence leave provisions.

General secretary Ros McLennan says in the submission that there have been “no cases of abuse of this entitlement as was predicted by some organisations opposed to its introduction”.

“There is also no evidence of the entitlement causing financial difficulties for any employer within the Queensland jurisdiction.”

It says the decision by the FWC to provide unpaid leave “highlights deficiencies in the operation of the Fair Work Act 2009, rather than a lack of merit for paid family and domestic violence leave”.

“Nonetheless the Parliament is not so restrained, and we would urge the adoption of the 10 days paid leave that was introduced in Queensland.”

Page 16

Workers used more than five days leave: Victoria Victoria, which provides 20 days a year of paid leave via a standard clause in public sector agreements, also urges the Federal Government to provide 10 days paid leave.

In support of its position, IR Minister Natalie Hutchins points to data from three state agencies that indicates that employees that made use of the leave took between five and 11 days off in 2016-17.

In the economic development department women who accessed the leave took an average of 86 hours, in the health department women took 83 hours and men 10 hours and in the justice department women and men took an average of 43 hours.

A HUGE win for public sector workers With the NSW Government decision to mandate 10 days paid domestic violence leave in all public sector awards, now all states have 10 days paid domestic violence leave for public sector employees. We now call on the Federal Coalition Governemnt to act and put this leave in the National Employment Standards.

In another recent development, the Fair Work Commission has decided to vary all modern awards to include a new flexible working arrangements term, effective 1 December 2018. The new term places additional consultation and response obligations on employers on top of the requirements in s 65 of the Fair Work Act. New enterprise agreements must include a clause at least as favourable as the new award clause.

The new term applies to all employees covered by s 65(1A) of the FW Act – i.e. parents, carers, people with disability, people who are 55 or older, and people experiencing family violence or providing care or support to a family or household member who requires care/ support because of family violence.

Under the new term, before refusing a request an employer must “discuss the request” with the employee and “genuinely try to reach agreement” on a change in working arrangements that will reasonably accommodate the employee’s circumstances having regard to “the needs of the employee arising from their circumstances, the consequences for the employee if changes in working arrangements are not made, and any reasonable business grounds for refusing the request”.

While the new term does not permit the Commission or a Court to directly hear a dispute about whether or not business grounds for a refusal are reasonable, the additional consultation and response obligations will be subject to dispute resolution processes, including court orders.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Womens Rights At Work Victorian RTBU Branch Secretary Luba Grigorovitch joined RTBU NSW women at a Womens Rights at Work workshop on August 25 held at the RTBU training rooms in Pitt Street, where they shared experiences, victories and strategies for women workers.

The WIMDOI conference Congratulations to RTBU women who attended the Women In Male Dominated Occupations and Industry’s conference on November 21. The RTBU women represented the largest union contingent at the conference.

The WIMDOI conference is a chance for our members to share tips, tricks and stories about the unique experience of working in these industries.

Special congratulations to Nyssa Parsons, Secretary of the Workshops Division who spoke in the opening panel about our recent Women’s Rights at Work Day. And a huge thanks to Luba Grigorovitch, Vic Branch Secretary for joining us to share her tips and tricks for women in unions.

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Page 17

Lest We Forget Fallen Railway Workers

Photo courtesy of Transport Heritage NSW

Special ceremonies were held across Australia and around the world in November to remember and honour those who died fighting for our country. This year’s Remembrance Day marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. The first Remembrance Day was observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate armistice agreement that ended the First World War. In particular, a number of special events were held to honour railway and transport workers who died in World War 1. Of the 8,477

railwaymen who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces during World War 1, 1,214 died fighting for their country.

A special ceremony was held at Central Station yesterday to unveil the four honour boards made by the NSW Government Railways & Tramways to commemorate the 1,214 railwaymen who died serving their country during WWI. The honour boards, which were removed from the station in the 1950s, have been carefully restored by Transport Heritage NSW and reinstated in their original location by Sydney Trains, for public viewing and ongoing

commemoration.

Biographies of each man were compiled by ARHS NSW Bookshop and can be found on the NSW Railways Remember website: www.nswrailwaysremember.com.au We encourage railway members who are near Central Station to visit the WWI Honour Boards which were unveiled in November. The Honour Boards acknowledge the railway workers who lost their lives at war. The RTBU would also like to take this opportunity to honour all transport workers who have lost their lives at war.

Cowra Honours its Railway Workers Branch Secretary Alex Claassens attended a service in Cowra to honour our fallen rail workers. The service was conducted by Chairman of the Lachlan Valley Railway Ian Cameron followed by a brief verbal history provided by Eddie Guilfoyle of the railway workers honoured on the memorial. Apparently the Cowra locomotive depot memorial is the only one in Australia and the fountain is actually made of steam locomotive parts.

Page 18

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

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Where horizontal space contraints apply, the legacy statement may appear in two lines.

Leading is set solid (the same as the point size).

Campaign Trail RTBU members joined thousands of community members at the Fix NSW Transport lantern walk in Sydney earlier this year. RTBU Secretary, Alex Claassens, addressed the crowd at Sydney Town Hall, talking about the need to improve our state’s transport services.

NSW deserves better!

Page 20

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Change the Rules for fair pay in anti-poverty week #ChangeTheRules The peak body for working people is calling for urgent changes to workplace laws to ensure working people get pay rises that meet their costs of living.

A report from the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) finds two in five Australians that live in poverty are working. This affirms what we already know: Working people are struggling to make ends meet.

The call for fair pay rises that keep up with the cost of living, and raise living standards for workers is urgent and comes during anti-poverty week, which runs from October 14-20.

While the Morrison Government skites about Australia being the second-wealthiest country in the world, in terms of wealth per adult, it’s presiding over appalling poverty rates.

The current minimum wage is not a living wage and no longer keeps people out of poverty. As a result more than 28,000 people are homeless but working full-time.

Insecure work is one of the core causes of hardship for Australian workers, with 40 percent of working people in insecure work. This includes permanent casuals, rolling short term contracts, sham contracting, insufficient work hours, and labour hire.

Wage growth is at near record lows, with four out of five people being refused the tools they need to negotiate with the real decision-makers in order to win fair pay rises and more secure jobs.

“The Government argues that poverty in Australia is not a problem – this report affirms what we’ve known for a long time that poverty and inequality are on the rise.

“It’s totally unacceptable that the Morrison Government fails to recognised the level of poverty, with two out of five people in poverty in work.

“No one should ever have to live in poverty – we all deserve fair pay and secure jobs we can count on that keep up with the costs of living - housing, food, energy, and health.

“The rules are broken; this Government is stopping working people get access to the fair pay rises and job security that is so badly needed in this country.

“Right now, the very wealthy, corporations, and big business are taking more than their fair share, while working people are getting less than we need.

“We’re living in a country where one minister’s internet bill is more than the annual minimum wage – we need to rebalance this power and make sure working people get their fair share.”

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Page 21

Whistlestop Lithgow Hits another Century Another chapter in Lithgow Loco history was completed this year after another three stalwarts called an end to their long careers.

With a combined 135 years service between them, Dave Adams (13/01/2018 – 39 years service) and Bob Morris (22/09/2018 – 47 years service) retired from PN, were farewell at Club Lithgow (The Bowlo), and Dennis Turner (25/08/2018 – 49 years service) retired from SSR, ex loco Inspector Eveleigh.

Dennis’s farewell at the Lithgow Workman’s Club was attended by well over 100 colleagues, friends and family, from as far as QLD and VIC, even an SSR customer attended from Grain Force Bathurst.

Dennis Turner Farewell Alex 25.08.2018

Dave Adams Farewell Greg Brooking, Colin Adams, Dave Adams Alex Claassens, Jason McIntyre 13.01.2018

Robert Morris Greg Brooking Jason McIntyre 22.09.2018

Dennis Turner Farewell Gift 25.08.2018

VALE Graham Bennett Life Member Graham Bennett passed away in Casino on Friday the 2nd November 2018. Graham retired in 2007 and was awarded Life Membership in 2008 for his Union service with the ARU and RTBU, Graham relieved as the South Western Organiser, was elected on Branch Council and was also a Delegate on the National Competency Project, Graham was the Secretary of the Guards Sub-Branch at Moss Vale for many years and held the position until his retirement in 2007. Graham also represented members on the Transport Appeals Board for many years. Our thoughts are with Graham’s family and friends at this sad time.

Page 22

Graham Bennett recieving his Life Membership in 2008

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Festive Season Office Hours The Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Pitt Street Office, will be attended as follows:-

Monday, 24th December 2018

08.00pm - 1.00pm

Tuesday, 25th December 2018

CLOSED

Wednesday, 26th December 2018

CLOSED

Thursday, 27th December 2018

8.00am - 4.30pm

Friday, 28th December 2018

8.00am - 4.30pm

Saturday, 29th December 2018

CLOSED

Sunday, 30st December 2018

CLOSED

Monday, 31st December 2018

08.00 - 1.00pm

Tuesday, 1st January 2019

CLOSED

Normal Office Hours of 8.00 till 16.30 will resume on Wednesday 2nd January 2019 The RTBU Executive, Officers and Staff wish all members and their families

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Page 23

We’ve got your back Proudly supporting the NSW Branch of Rail, Tram and Bus Union and their members.

RTBU Members are entitled to a free, initial consultation and discounted rates when referred by their union.

GET IN TOUCH Contact the RTBU on 02 9264 2511 for a referral to Slater and Gordon Lawyers

RTBU Holiday Park at Jervis Bay RTBU Members can also take advantage of the United Services Union’s Aquatic Resort at Port Macquarie The RTBU and USU have a reciprocal arrangement where members of each union can book holidays at the two locations, at member discounted rates.

The USU owns the Aquatic holiday resort, in a glorious location on the Hastings River at Port Macquarie on the north coast of New South Wales. The resort consists of a Motel and a Caravan Park.

Stay in comfort at the holiday resort and enjoy great discounts and great style while relaxing in what many say is the best climate in Australia.

No matter what type of holiday you are after your needs are covered. Lots to do any time of the year! There are a lot of attractions in the area for you and your family – have a great game of Putt-Putt golf or try Jet boating, Parra Sailing, Waterslides, Wave Bowling & Lawn Bowls which are all within walking distance. And don’t forget the fishing!Please note – there are no tent sites at the Port Macquarie Caravan Park.

You can contact the motel or caravan park by calling the Comfort Inn Aquatic Motel on 02 6583 7388 or the Aquatic Palms Caravan Park on 02 6584 9155 or check the website at www.aquaticinport.com.au You can also call the United Services Union’s Head Office on 02 9265 8211 for more information.

Members must provide proof of identity plus their RTBU membership card at the time of arrival at Jervis Bay or Port Macquarie United Services Union or full rates will apply.

Located in the Booderee National Park, the RTBU Holiday Park at Jervis Bay, is just a 3 hour drive south from Sydney, but a world away…

Each of the 14 self-contained cabins sleep up to a maximum of 6 people.

Cabins have a queen sized bed, two single beds and a set of double bunks.

You will need to bring your own sheets as only mattress protectors, quilts and pillows are supplied.

The cabins contain a digital television, an oven, microwave, fridge, crockery, cutlery, glassware, pots and pans as well as basic cooking utensils. Make sure you come prepared as the closest grocery shop is in Vincentia, a 30 minute drive away.

The RTBU Holiday Park facilities available to all guests include a Boat Ramp, Undercover Bar-B-Q area with seating, Tennis Court and a Coin Operated Laundry.

There are various swimming spots to enjoy and natural areas to explore, suitable for all the family.

Kangaroos, possums, wallabies, kookaburras, bandicoots, echidnas and rosellas visit the grounds of the Holiday Park daily.

Enjoy fishing for whiting, flathead and bream from the calm shores or take a quick walk to experience beach fishing for tailor and salmon on the pristine Bherwerre Beach.

Bookings can be made by telephoning the RTBU Office on (02) 9264 2511.

Booderee National Park & Bherwerre Beach

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www.facebook. com/RTBUNSW

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

In the Dhurga language, Booderee means “Bay of Plenty” and the area is the home to the people of Wreck Bay. The Booderee National Park has the only Aboriginal owned Botanic Garden in Australia. The gardens are well known for providing a centre for interpreting plants used by the local aboriginal people.

The Park is also home to 200 species of birds, over 30 different native mammals including 10 species of bats, 37 reptiles, 17 amphibians and at least 180 species of fish.

The White-Bellied Sea Eagle is a special bird at Booderee as it is the guardian of the Koori people of Wreck Bay and features on the Booderee National Park logo.

Within the Booderee National Park you will find beautiful white sandy beaches at Green Patch, Murrays, Steamers, Caves and Bherwerre.

Bherwerre is home to some of the Boderee National Parks rarer seabirds. Pods of bottle-nose dolphins are often spotted playing in the waves at the Sussex Inlet Entrance and Humpback whales have been known to enter the protected areas close to shore.

Like Us on Facebook RTBU Holiday Park Jervis Bay Page 25

CHANGE OF DETAILS FORM CHANGE OF PERSONAL DETAILS Surname

Given Name(s)

Gender Male Female

Street Address

Suburb

Post Code

Home Telephone Number

Work Telephone Number

Date Of Birth

Mobile Number

Email (work) Email (home)

Employer

Employee Number

Occupation: Eg Train Driver

RTBU Member Number

Work Location/ Depot

Date Commenced

Employment Status Fulltime

CHANGE IN BANKING DETAILS IMPORTANT Members need to specify the date of their next pay so that when the membership fee debit occurs on a Friday there is sufficient money in the account to ensure the transaction is not dishonoured which results in you then being charged an additional fee by your bank.

Part time

Casual

Next Pay Week

DETAILS OF BANK ACCOUNT TO BE DEBITED Name of Financial Institution (Bank)

Branch where account is held

Account in the name(s) of Bank/State Branch Number: (BSB Six Digits)

Account Number (Maximum of 9 digits)

DETAILS OF CREDIT CARD TO BE DEBITED Credit Card Type: Eg Visa, MasterCard, AMX

Credit Card Number

Credit card in the name of

Expiry Date

I/We authorise and request the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union, until further notice in writing to arrange for my/our account described in this direct debit authority, to be debited with any amounts which the debit user may properly debit or charge me/us through the direct debit system.

I/We authorise and request this direct debit authority to remain in force until cancelled, deferred or otherwise altered in accordance with this service agreement.

SIGNATURE

SUBMIT

DATE Please Email your completed form to nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au by using the submit button Post: Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 or Fax: 02 9261 1342 • Tel: 02 9264 2511

Profits that go to members, not shareholders.

The right support and advice to help you

feel future ready

1300 650 873

Consider our PDS before making a decision. FSS Trustee Corporation ABN 11 118 202 672, AFSL 293340, trustee of the First State Superannuation Scheme ABN 53 226 460 365.

Buy Your Piece of Union History Limited numbers of the commemorative badge of the 1917 Great Strike are available for purchase from the RTBU office for $10.

1917 Great Strike CDs available at cost price!

Celebrate the stories and songs from one of Australia’s greatest class stuggles with a copy of the 1917 Great Strike Centenary CD! We’ve purchased 50 Great Strike CDs which we’re offering to members at cost price ($20.00 each). Get your copy at the RTBU Pitt St reception desk!

Have You Left the Industry?

Retired?

If you have left the industry, permanently or for a period, have retired, or are off work due to illness, you must resign, or suspend your union membership, in writing.

Our union rules provide that members leaving the union for whatever reason, must do so in writing. If you do not resign in writing, you will continue to be included on our union membership and liable for the dues owing for that time.

Please note: Regardless of whether your union dues were paid by direct debit or through payroll deductions, the employer is not authorised to change your membership details after resignation or leaving the union. You must do this personally.

Please contact the membership office at the union on 02 9264 2511 for more information.

Page 28

RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Join the RTBU Retired Members Association Many retired members continue to receive copies of the journal Rail & Road, and take an interest in the life of the union. Many have also said that they would like to maintain a closer connection and involvement with the work of the union. The RTBU Retired Members Association was established to provide a forum for former members to meet, work on campaigns, address issues of particular relevance for retirees and to identify ways of assisting, supporting and contributing to the work of the union.

It is expected that the Retired Members Association will function independently and pursue issues that it identifies as priorities.

If you are a retired member of our union, we would like you to consider joining the Retired Members Association. Membership forms are available from the RTBU Head Office, Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney or on the union website: www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au

For more information, contact Peter O’Connor at the union office on (02) 9264 2511 For more information, contact Don McKechnie on 0409 813 643 or the union office on (02) 9264 2511

Page 14

raIL & rOaD June 2010

RTBU Express Website

www.rtbuexpress.com.au RAIL & ROAD December 2018

Page 29

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM Surname

Given Name(s)

Gender Male Female

Street Address

Suburb

Post Code

Home Telephone Number

Work Telephone Number

Date Of Birth

Mobile Number

Email (work) Email (home)

Employer

Employee Number

Date Commenced

Occupation: Eg Train Driver

Work Location/Depot

Employment Status Fulltime

Part time

Casual

the undersigned, hereby apply to become a member of the I, Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, an Organisation of employees registered under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 as amended, and hereby undertake to comply with the Rules and By-Laws for the time being of the Union.

Signature of Applicant

Dated

I, the undersigned, hereby apply to become a member of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union of New South Wales, an Organisation registered under the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) as amended, and hereby undertake to comply with the Rules and By-Laws for the time being of the Union.

Signature of Applicant

Dated

via DIRECT DEBIT fortnightly OR 1. I agree to pay $ CREDIT CARD fortnightly. or any other amounts as may be determined from time to time in accordance with the Rules of the Union.

I certify that I have received a copy of Rule 14, Notification of Resignation From Membership.

2. I/We authorise and request the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, until further notice in writing to arrange for my/ our account described in this direct debit authority, to be debited with any amounts which the debit user may properly debit or charge me/us through the direct debit system.

3. I/We authorise my employer to notify the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union of any change of address during my employment.

4. I/We authorise and request this direct debit authority to remain in force until cancelled, deferred or otherwise altered in accordance with this service agreement.

Signature of Applicant

Dated

DETAILS OF THE ACCOUNT TO BE DEBITED

Account Name OR Name on Credit Card Financial Institution Branch

Date of next pay

IMPORTANT Members need to specify the date of their next pay so that when the membership fee debit occurs on a Friday there is sufficient money in the account to ensure the transaction is not dishonoured which results in you then being charged an additional fee by your bank.

Bank/State Branch No. (BSB)

Card Type

Account No./If Credit Union Membership No.

MasterCard

Visa

Expiry Date

/

Credit Card Number

SUBMIT

Please Email your completed form to nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au by using the submit button Post: Level 4, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 or Fax: 02 9261 1342 • Tel: 02 9264 2511

IMPORTANT PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR REFERENCE

4. A notice delivered to the Branch Secretary shall be deemed to have been received by when it was delivered.

RESIGNATION FROM MEMBERSHIP

5. A notice of resignation that has been received by the Union is not invalid because it was not addressed and delivered the Branch Secretary.

2. A notice of resignation from membership of the Union takes effect:– (a) where the member ceases to be eligible to become or remain a member of the Union (i) on the day on which the notice is received by the Union or (ii) on the day specified in the notice, which is a day not earlier than the day when the member ceases to be eligible to become a member, whichever is later; or (b) In any other case:– (i) at the end of two weeks; or (ii) on the day specified in the notice: whichever is later.

3. Any subscriptions, fees, fines and levies owing but not paid by a former member of the Union in relation to a period before the member’s resignation took effect, may be sued for and recovered in the name of the Union in a Court of competent jurisdiction, as a debt due to the Union.

What happens if I get pregnant, sick for an extended period or take leave without pay?

If you are on unpaid maternity leave, sick or are off work for a substantial period of time you can seek to have your membership fees suspended until you return to work by giving written notice addressed and delivered to the Secretary of his/her Branch under Clause 11 (8): (8) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Rule, should any member during any financial year be without pay owing to ill health or to other causes which a Branch Executive regards as warranting special consideration, then the Branch Executive may grant the member exemption from payment of all or any contributions imposed in accordance with the Rules for all or part of the period during which he/ she is without pay. During the period of the exemption, the member shall be deemed to be financial.

The Rail, Tram & Bus Union is bound by the Privacy Act and your information can only used for RTBU processes and cannot be used for any other purposes.

AM AND

BU S

Level 4, 321 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000

TR L

1. A member may resign from membership of the Union by written notice addressed and delivered to the Secretary of his/her Branch.

6. Resignation from membership of the Union is valid even if it is not affected in accordance with this Rule, if the member is informed in writing by or on behalf of the Union that the resignation has been accepted.

R AI

OF THE RTBU

Tel (02) 9264 2511 Fax (02) 9264 1342 E-mail nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au Website www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au

UN

ION

Keep your health on track, join rt health today.

WIN a $750 Coles Group & Myer *Gift Card !

As an RTBU member you’ll receive generous additional benefits such as: An immediate waiver on ALL 2 and 3 month waiting periods; $150 fuel or grocery voucher (your choice) – just our way of saying thanks for coming on board!

5% discount off every one of our health cover choices.

Shouldn’t your health fund be focused on serving you—not making a profit from you?

Contact our friendly team today, and get on track with rt health!

1300 782 810

rtbu@rthealth.com.au | rthealthfund.com.au/rtbu *Join rt health between 1 November 2018 and 31 January 2019 and we’ll put you into the draw. Permit No NSW LTPS/18/24131. Railway & Transport Health Fund Limited (ACN 087 648 744)(“rt health”). 0518/3295