2020 Rail and Road - September Edition

VOLUME 112 No.3 September 2020

AND

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

Cleaners Fight for Regional Jobs

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Locomotive Division

RTBU Holiday Park Vacancies - Book your holiday now

The RTBU Holiday Park is a great place to escape to for a peaceful break in the National Park and a walk along the beach.

Avoid the rush and the high season rates - book your holiday now. The Holiday Park is situated in a National Park and Members can enjoy a holiday by the sea and relax with fishing, tennis, boating, swimming or bushwalking.

RTBU members can also now get discounted rates at the United Services Union Aquatic Resort (Motel and Caravan Park) at Port Macquarie.

For booking enquiries please telephone Head Office on

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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

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Branch Executive Secretary President Assistant Secretary (Road) Assistant Secretary (Rail)

Alex Claassens Joanne McCallum David Babineau 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 Campaign Director Branch Organisers

Toby Warnes Dan Scaysbrook Helen Bellette Craig Turner Ricky Keehn Trent Hunter Wayne Moody

Locomotive Organisers

Freight

Passenger

Farren Campbell Steve Wright Kevin Pryor Bob Newham

Industrial Officers Branch Grace Morgan-Cocks Tram & Bus Lizanne Bennett Locomotive Peter Matthews Legal Officer - Locomotive Sarah Scully-Leaf Communications Officer Peter O’Connor

From the Branch Secretary Since the CoronaVirus pandemic started at the beginning of the year, our members have been at the frontline, ensuring that transport services continue to operate in a safe manner. This has had its share of tensions with the government and employers resisting calls from our members to put in place a number of measures to protect transport workers and the public.

With concerns raised by our Tram and Bus Division, Station Staff and Cleaners, in particular, who have been concerned about direct exposure to the virus, we have continued to have regular briefings with TfNSW. We have also continued to have meetings with employers to address issues as they arise.

Under the threat of industrial action from bus drivers, we finally forced the NSW Government to address ongoing concerns about the privatisation of Sydney buses, and protecting our members if privatisation goes ahead.

Alongside this win came a bitter disappointment when the “independent umpire”, the Fair Work Commission, failed working people by endorsing NSW Trains’ brazen attempts to renege on its agreement with employees. NSW Trains can now ignore agreed mechanism for changing workers’ classification and wages, instead making changes whenever and however it chooses.

This is an outrageous decision that

invalidates the enterprise agreement between workers and employers, threatening the very foundation of collective bargaining. It’s a continuation of a worrying trend of employers and governments using Covid-19 as an excuse to roll back workers’ rights, while the media and the world are distracted.

We will of course be appealing this outrageous decision and keep members updated as the case progresses.

Over the past couple of months we have also had the NIF operating model and cab simulation roadshows, with members raising a wide range of concerns with the operating model, the flawed cab design, and the process to limit input and consultation. The RTBU is currently in dispute with NSW Trains about their failed consultative process, and we want to be very clear, with members and management, that allowing us to view their shiny new toy does not equal consultation or agreement. We have advised members to not sign or agree to anything.

The NSW Government’s preoccupation of running driverless trains and buses needs to be reined in and called out for the reckless, unsafe waste of money that it is. Recent reports of serious shaking on the Sydney Metro driverless trains raises serious concerns about not having staff on board to respond to any safety issue.

Keolis Downer is pushing ahead with its ridiculous driverless shuttle bus project

in Newcastle, while the rest of the transport network in the region is left seriously wanting.

The RTBU has also been concerned about news that the Board of RT Health Fund is putting the fund up for sale. The fund which has operated for more than 130 years was created by rail workers.

We want it to remain a mutual fund owned by members and operated for the benefit of members.

As Rail & Road goes to press, we have been informed of the passing of one of our Union’s former leaders in Jim Walshe. Jim was the last NSW Australian Railways Union (ARU) Secretary prior to the RTBU amalgamation in 1993, and was well regarded by friends and foes alike. Jim started on the railways in 1953, after emigrating to Australia in 1952. He was a Porter, a Shunter, a Guard, a Union Organiser, before being elected as Union President in 1976 and then ARU Branch Secretary, following the retirement of Jack Maddox. Jim eventually retired from the Secretary’s position in 1992 to work full-time on the amalgamation process. In our next journal, we will provide a fitting tribute to Jim Walshe, as a Union Secretary who was widely respected by union members in particular. On behalf of the RTBU, I wish to extend my condolences to Jim’s sons and family.

In this Issue Industrial News A Win for Commuters and Workers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MTS Members Fight Back Over Proposed Redundancies . . . . . .

Workers Rights Eroded by FWC NSW Trains Decision. . . . . . . . .

98% of Train Crew refuse to Operate New Intercity Fleet . . . . . .

Industrial Notes Another Transfer Dispute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PN Intermodal Outsourced Projects EA Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dubbo Roster Dispute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

General News Morrison Wants Unions and Business to put down the weapons on IR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Important Information about Future of RT Health . . . . . . . . . . .

Berejiklian Government Pressing for Wage Freeze . . . . . . . . . .

Membership of IR Working Groups Announced . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Putting Workers First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Train Driving in the DNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Campaign News New Intercity Fleet Campaign Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cleaners, Station Staff and Train Crew Take Fight to Bathurst. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Safety Matters Emergency Buttons on new trains Answered by Call Centre. . .

Whistlestop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Industrial News A Win for Commuters and Workers Planned Bus Strike Called Off In a win for commuters and workers, the Government has promised to organise genuine community consultation on the privatisation of buses in Sydney including future route and service changes. They’ve also agreed to review the health regulations on public transport if infection rates rise.

Hundreds of buses were off the streets for two hours on August 24 while our members participated in a stop work meeting.

Together we won crucial concessions in the fight against privatising regions 7, 8 and 9. We protected our rights at work, won a review of health regulations and secured robust community consultations for the public, whose support has been invaluable and unwavering.

While the media jumped on the issue of face masks, which were available to members, and avoided the issue of privatisation, our members ensured the focus of the discussion remained on privatisation.

For a government that for months has refused to listen, sit down or negotiate on the privatisation and regulation of public transport, with the voices of 22,000 people and 2 Parliament debates falling on deaf ears, this is a simply extraordinary result.

“Bus drivers and their union, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, thank commuters and the wider community for their incredible support during this difficult week. You recognised that the NSW Government didn’t have our back on safety or privatisation of bus services and you stepped up in support,” Tram and Bus Divisional Secretary Mr Babineau said.

Through our combined action, we forced the Government to the negotiating table and made them take our concerns seriously. It wouldn’t

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have been possible without the tireless work of members and a campaign of thousands of passionate activists who believe in the importance of reliable public transport to the health and equity of our communities.

This commitment, if kept, will ensure we can have our say on services after privatisation, if it happens.

The biggest issue is we all know that the government lied at the last state election, and they’ve shown themselves happy to lie since. We need to keep them honest about community consultation.

“I have no doubt these community consultations will show the depth of community anger and frustration at bus privatisation plans. The community know privatisation will inevitably mean cuts to services and short-cuts on the cleaning, fleet maintenance, and safety. It’s up to everyone to stand up for their local services. The government has committed in writing that there will only be one employer per region.

In the inner west our members have suffered at the hands of a company

unrestrained in their focus to rip savings from the pockets of workers.

This was done with creative company structure and approved by TfNSW, it cannot happen again.

“Bus drivers and their union will remain vigilant and we hope for a more constructive response from government to any future concerns so we can avoid reaching this point again,” Mr Babineau said.

The planned 48 hour bus driver strike was called off by members in light of the concessions from the Government, and the continuing COVID-19 situation. The decision marks the beginning of a new era in our campaign. Drivers feel they have made their point and that taking strike action would badly impact the very people they are committed to serving, at a time when people are relying on public transport the most.

We proved that if we stand up together, we can keep our government accountable. Public assets and services belong to us, the people – including public transport.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

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SYDNEY PARRAMATTA NEWCASTLE CANBERRA WOLLONGONG CAMPBELLTOWN

MTS Members Fight Back Over Proposed Redundancies In June 2020 management dropped a bombshell on our members when the CEO announced that MTS would undergo a full organisational review after only 12 months of operation.

The cost cutting proposal aims to: •S trip the positions held by our members from their structure.

• Make minor changes to position descriptions removing the high voltage component, opening up the door to outsource this job function.

• To add insult to injury members have been asked to reapply for their own, slightly amended positions.

Clause 7.5 of the Enterprise Agreement states that “The Company must give prompt and genuine consideration to matters raised about the major change by the relevant Employees”

Instead of following their obligations, management have railroaded our members attempts at consultation and have pushed ahead with their plans to restructure, and put our members jobs at risk.

As a result of management’s failure to consult we sought the assistance of Unions NSW and have lodged a dispute in Fair Work Australia on behalf of the RTBU and other Unions involved.

While we wait for conciliation to take place status quo should be maintained; this means that work should continue, as normal, until our dispute is resolved.

In the meantime, we will continue to meet with management and put the case forward.

Worker’s rights eroded by Fair Work’s NSW Trains decision Collective bargaining powers are threatened by a Fair Work Commission decision in late August which will allow NSW Trains to alter employment conditions and classifications outside the terms outlined in its Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA).

The decision gives NSW Trains license to use “managerial prerogative” to change employees’ wages and classifications, and disregard the existing mechanism for making such changes in its EBA, a hard-fought agreement won by transport workers to protect their working conditions.

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said the decision was a deeply troubling endorsement of NSW Trains’ sustained attempts to erode working conditions and circumvent the power of collective bargaining.

“The Fair Work Commission has failed working people through this decision, plain and simple,” said Mr Claassens.

“Employees and their unions are forced to fight long and hard to secure their conditions and agree on the circumstances under which these conditions can be changed.

“Our members’ EBA with NSW Trains has such a provision.

This entire case was a prolonged attempt by NSW Trains to ruthlessly renege on an agreement made in good faith with its employees.

“NSW Trains effectively has been given a license to alter its employees’ conditions whenever and however it wishes.

This sets a dangerous precedent that should distress every worker in Australia.

“Unions exist to give workers a voice, fighting the staggering power imbalance between workers and their employers. Today the Fair Work Commission has allowed that voice to be silenced.

“We will of course appeal this disastrous decision and explore all options to protect transport workers from NSW Trains and the NSW Government’s toxic costsaving agenda, which seizes every opportunity to diminish conditions for employees.”

“Unions exist to give workers a voice...

... the Fair Work Commission has allowed that voice to be silenced

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”

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Sydney Trains - Work Group / Team Leader Pay The long-awaited Team Leader/Work Group Leader (TL/ WGL) pay review minutes from 5th June have finally been released by Sydney Trains after nearly one month.

The review was conducted without any direct interviews with current TL/WGL. It was acknowledged that the PD for T/L WGL and competencies were not reviewed prior to conducting the review and had not been reviewed since 2013 We have been told that “no anomalies exist” between the different streams for WGL / TL on the current roles, responsibilities or competency skills.

secret and why was there no involvement from any TL/ WGL? With them admitting that the PDs and competencies need reviewing and a follow up will occur, we will continue this fight!

We have written to management to invoke the DSP over the non -release of the review report and to call for full transparency.

We must collect the information to win this! You can do this by speaking to your reps listed below.

If that is the case, why won’t they give us a copy of the review report? What have they got to hide if “no anomalies exist?”

Your representatives Steve Gauci , Ben Hart, Paul Wallace, David Rasborsek, Shaun Upu, Jeffrey Newham, Tye Davies, Justin Howard have been supplied a template to collect this information.

None of us are happy with the way the review was conducted in

We look forward to your continued support for this struggle.

98% of train crew refuse to operate faulty New InterCity Fleet The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW says 98% of train drivers and guards surveyed by the union will refuse to crew the imported New InterCity Fleet trains due to dangerous design flaws that the NSW Government has failed to fix.

“Locked in their cabin, guards are unable to perform their safety role, while drivers are expected to monitor dozens of tiny CCTV screens for potential accidents outside, when they need to be concentrating on actually driving the train.

The response came in a member survey where train crew reported extreme concerns about the obscured vision of the platform and the cluttered CCTV system, making incidents and safety risks outside the train, like people falling through the gap, difficult to monitor.

“Even the emergency call buttons will be no help if the worst should happen, because they direct commuters not to the onboard crew who are ready to respond, but to a call centre in Mascot.

With the current design of the doors locks the crew in a soundproofed cab, preventing guards from monitoring the platform from their door as they currently do on InterCity trains in NSW.

“If in a split second a child falls through the gap while the driver is concentrated on driving, the crew cannot hear any commotion, and the emergency buttons won’t patch a bystander through to the guards before they take off.

“These imported trains are unsuitable for our network”

“Our members have been telling the Government from day one that the design of these trains actively prevents them from doing their jobs,” says Alex Claassens, RTBU NSW Secretary. “Their point-blank refusal to staff these dangerous, faulty trains should come as no surprise.

“These imported trains are unsuitable for our network and do not meet the safety requirements commuters currently enjoy in this state.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

“It’s a train wreck of a design and a disaster waiting to happen.

The government and Transport for NSW are willing to take that risk, but drivers and guards are not.

“The NSW Government must fix these trains before we will operate them on our network.”

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Industrial Notes

NSW Trains - Another Transfer Dispute Members will not be surprised to know that another dispute exists in relation to what is a never-ending story of stuff ups relating to transfers within NSW Trains. This most recent matter involves at least six members from different depots who have either been made offers of transfer to Newcastle incorrectly or not receiving the same when they were senior to those offered.

To make matters worse for itself, NSW Trains also put out a waiver for Newcastle whilst the transfer list process was not complete thereby compounding the mistakes already made.

Drivers accepted the transfers offered without knowing they were not eligible whilst some were subsequently contacted and their offer rescinded.

Once again the Locomotive Division was left to try and sort this complex mess out and despite repeated attempts to have NSW Trains rectify the mistakes made, a dispute was lodged to stop the wrong transfers occurring until it is resolved.

Pacific National Intermodal Outsourced Projects Enterprise Agreement Update Negotiations continued on the 21/07/20 with the RTBU EA Negotiating Team, and Pacific National for your replacement Enterprise Agreement.

This was our 10th EA Meeting with Pacific National as we continue to debate the log of claims.

2 member sessions were conducted at the Port Kembla Leagues Club on Tuesday 28th July 2020.

In attendance were the EA Delegates and NSW Locomotive Division Freight Organiser Kevin Pryor.

The RTBU EA Negotiation team consists of delegates Paul Bentley, Jason McPhee and David Rowley and NSW Locomotive Division Organiser Kevin Pryor.

NSW Trains -Dubbo Roster Dispute Once again, the ongoing matter of the application of the Op Crew system to Regional rosters has led to another dispute. In this instance, the Dubbo roster for the coming fortnight was distributed in the Op Crew format which resulted in that roster not containing ADO’s, line numbers, allocation of overtime or fatigue scores. This is nothing new as the same dispute has been lodged on 5 previous occasions for the same breaches in different depots. When questioned about the breaches, managements arrogant response was “that’s just the way it is, get used to it”. They further refused to accept the

original dispute on the grounds that it was issued by a member and not the delegate which clearly shows their ignorance of the EA and the rights contained therein.

Once the Loco Division intervened, a new roster was issued that complied with the requirements of the EA. Obviously this continued issuing and re-issuing of rosters is not good practice, it wastes everyone’s time and effort and apparently nothing is learned in the process as the same mistakes continue to occur and we’re sure we’ll be disputing this matter again in the future.

www.locoexpress.com.au Page 8

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

General News Morrison wants unions and business to ‘put down the weapons’ on IR. But real reform will not be easy.

In a bid to repair the economy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced an industrial relations overhaul. Business groups and unions will be brought together to try to change a system that Morrison says is “not fit for purpose”.

This is a positive step after years in which industrial relations has substantially divided interested parties. As Morrison told the ABC in May, “we’ve got to put down the weapons”.

But reaching meaningful agreement will not be simple or straightforward.

Emeritus Professor Ray Markey of Macquarie University looked at some of the similarities and differences between Morrison’s Accord 2 and the Accord of the Hawke Government in 1983.

Accord 2.0?

Morrison’s move has invited comparisons with the Accord between the Labor Party and the ACTU when Bob Hawke became Prime Minister in 1983.

This was the basis for economic reform built on wide consensus between employers, unions and government.

However, there are many differences between the special circumstances of the Accord and now, which may indicate the chances of success for the current initiative Hawke had the advantage of high levels of trust from both unions and employers, based on his years as a successful negotiator as ACTU President and Industrial Officer

While Morrison talked positively about to the “constructive approach” between unions and employers during the coronavirus pandemic, he does not have any such record of trust to build on.

Another difference with the Accord is that in the 1980s, the industrial relations system was more centralised. So, employer organisations and the ACTU enjoyed greater coverage and authority among their own constituents to bring them to an agreement.

What needs to be fixed in 2020 Unions, business and government all agree that reform of the current system is needed. Finding common ground on what those changes are will be more difficult.

Morrison has announced five working groups, to be chaired

by Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter. The groups will look at award simplification, casual and fixed-term employment, greenfield projects, and compliance and enforcement for wages and conditions.

Most of the working group topics relate to employer groups’ reform agenda. The Business Council of Australia has advocated for greater flexibility and simplification of the award system for the economy to successfully rebuild.

Employment Relations Professor David Peetz warns that this is code for shrinking the award safety net.

Unions are likely to interpret this similarly.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Unions may be more interested in simplification of the enterprise bargaining system to benefit workers. They are concerned with the ease with which employers have increasingly terminated agreements and moved employees onto lower paid awards.

Where to now?

Unions and employers have indicated willingness to participate in good faith, despite the huge challenges they face. But the omens are poor.

There has already been major disagreement over the Fair Work Commission’s annual minimum wage decision, handed down in July.

The ACTU was arguing for a 4% increase, angering business groups.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has argued the minimum wage should remain frozen until at least mid-2021. It has even cited a precedent of the 10% reduction awarded on the basis of capacity to pay during the Great Depression.

There is also a serious question as to whether industrial relations reform is the right place to be looking to reboot the economy.

Former top public servant Michael Keating was head of the Employment, Finance and Prime Minister’s departments during the Accords era.

Keating warned that industrial relations reform is mainly “camouflage for lower wages, which is the last thing this economy needs right now”.

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Important Information About Future Of RT Health The current board of RT Health is putting the fund up for sale.

The RT Health Board has issued a tender calling for other insurance funds to buy RT Health outright or to merge with it.

This means the health fund is at serious risk of being demutualised and taken over by a private business.

If that happens, RT Health will no longer be run for members: it will run for the profit of its new owners and shareholders.

RT Health has operated for almost 130 years. It was created by rail workers. The current Board wants to change all that.

The RTBU has been in discussions with the RT Health board over the past six months and had previously managed to get one of our own, Bruce Mackie, appointed to the Board to ensure members interests are represented.

But despite our best efforts, the other members of the Board continue to take actions behind our back to undermine the combined RTBU/RT Health membership and we need to stop them.

We want to make sure the health insurer remains as a mutual fund - owned by members, and operated for the benefit of members.

In order to stop this tender process, we first need to know exactly how many of our members are also members of RT Health. So if you are an RT Health member please complete the short survey in the following link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/RTBUrt Together, we will protect RT Health and ensure it stays there to benefit you.

Flemington Maintenance Centre Reprieved for 1 year The RTBU was advised that the C, K and V Sets will be retiring. This will impact directly on Flemington Maintenance Centre (FMC) work areas.

Flemington Maintenance Centre Night Shift The work areas initially impacted are the maintenance areas (Fitters, Electricians and EO4s) where a restructure was commenced which was referred to as the depot reset.

Although there was consultation with the maintenance section of Flemington the same could not be said for the Fleet Presentation area.

This was very concerning to the membership as it represented an attack on job security in this area. In addition, the cleaners felt that their

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voices had not been heard and they had been overlooked.

The cleaners held a meeting where they compiled a list of feedback, they wished to deliver to Sydney Trains which included converting FMC into a stabling yard as the requirement for trains to be cleaned still existed.

FMC is in perfect position for this as there is a wash plant, decant plant and facilities that are specifically built for graffiti removal.

This was submitted to Sydney Trains in a letter with the request Sydney Trains would meet with the cleaners.

However, there was some good news for the cleaners as it was announced

by Sydney Trains that a 12-month extension has been issued for FMC. This news has given the Cleaners some much needed relief and time to lobby Sydney Trains with their position that FMC be maintained as a stabling yard.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Editorial

The views in the following editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the RTBU NSW Branch. The following was supplied by former RTBU National Secretary Roger Jowett

Is there a future for transport rolling stock manufacture in NSW? Incendiary comments by the NSW Premier about the capacity of NSW to manufacture passenger transport vehicles have ignited a wider debate about the future of manufacturing in our state.

A series of transport infrastructure bungles has occurred in recent years with the latest embarrassment being passengers on the top deck of new Parramatta bound ferries having to be cleared because they could not safely fit under existing bridges. The privatised Sydney operator had ordered off the shelf ferries from Indonesia. The resulting public furore about the incompetence of the state government in procuring transport infrastructure was made worse by comments from the Premier stating that NSW “was not good at building trains.”

These comments sparked a community debate about local jobs particularly in job starved regional areas, the future of apprenticeships for young people , cost structures in Australia and overseas and the subsidies, research, investment and depreciation allowances enjoyed by many overseas manufacturers because of active support from their Governments.

NSW manufacturing workers pointed to the lack of forward planning, ad hoc procurement policies and the high cost of electricity prices associated with privatisation in NSW. In contrast to NSW the Victorian Government in 2015 established a 10 year rolling stock strategy for an industry which employs 10,000 Victorian workers. This enables a planned and consistent supply of both trains and trams

underpinned by a commitment that a minimum of 50% of local content in all rolling stock orders. Importantly the Victorian Government has designated the transport technology sector as one of six priority sectors.

The ferry fiasco is one of a number transport infrastructure bungles that has plagued NSW in recent years. They have included light rail rolling stock manufactured in Spain which do not allow interoperability between systems.

In addition the next generation of inter-regional trains built in South Korea which could not operate on the Blue mountains line without the spending of tens of millions of dollars on widening tunnels, altering platforms and relocating signalling infrastructure.

The widespread adverse community reaction to the Premier’s ill-considered comments has seen the NSW Government attempt to walk back their views by saying they are ready to work with other states to develop a plan to foster local manufacturing. The peak rail industry body said “the NSW government procurement process had helped erode local manufacturing and called for urgent action to rebuild the sector while global supply chains were tested amid the pandemic.”

Deeds not words are what are urgently required from the NSW Government.

Berejiklian Govt Pressing For Pay Freeze The NSW Government has announced its intention to freeze public sector wages.

Over 400,000 public sector employees would be forced to forego a 2.5% pay rise for 12 months, at a time when spending in sorely needed to help our shattered economy recover.

The proposed wage freeze will directly affect bus drivers and STA salaried members as well as those members that work for Transport for NSW directly.

The move, however, has been blocked in the NSW Legislative Council by NSW Labor, the Greens, the Animal Justice Party, and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Premier Gladys Berejiklian is now trying to get around Parliament taking her pay freeze proposal to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.

NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said a pay freeze was the last thing that NSW public sector workers needed.

“Our members have helped their communities to get through droughts, fires and now the pandemic,” Alex said.

“They deserve the State Government’s gratitude and thanks, but instead they’re getting kicked in the guts. ‘’We’ll be fighting this outrageous pay freeze proposal all the way.”

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Christmas School Holiday at the RTBU Jervis Bay Holiday Park

A ballot of members was held on Friday, 25th September 2020 to decide who will spend the peak Christmas holiday period (Saturday, 19th December 2020 to Saturday the 30th January 2021) at our Holiday Park at Jervis Bay. Now that the draw has been completed members will be contacted and advised of the outcome of the draw. If successful, you will need to complete the registration form with the names of the people attending the booking and agree to the camp rules.

If we do not receive your confirmation and payment together with the completed registration form by the 27th November, your booking will be automatically cancelled.

Bookings are restricted to financial RTBU members only, on the basis of one unit per member for a minimum of one week and a maximum of two weeks from Saturday to Saturday.

Proof of membership will be required upon arrival.

For more information about the Holiday Park or any questions, please call the RTBU office on (02) 9264 2511 or email nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au.

Following the ballot, there are still some vacancies for this period, for members and nonmembers. So, if you would like to have your summer holiday at the RTBU Holiday Park, check with the office for rates and availability.

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RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Memberships of IR working groups announced The Morrison Government has finalised the primary membership of the five industrial relations working groups tasked with finding ways to urgently regrow jobs lost as a result of COVID-19.

The working groups will each have 10 full-time members – five from employer and five from employee groups – and will tackle known problems within the IR system that are holding back Australia’s economic recovery.

Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Christian Porter, said the members all had a clear understanding of how important the task in front of them was, especially to the 600,000 Australians who have lost their jobs in recent months.

“On top of those who’ve lost their jobs, there are millions more who have seen their work hours and pay-packets reduced due to COVID-19, and we owe it to them to work cooperatively through this process to deliver solutions that will get our country working again,” the Attorney-General said.

The five issues that will be addressed by the working groups are: • Casuals and fixed term employees • Award simplification (covering Awards in industry sectors heavily impacted by COVID-19) • Enterprise agreement making • Compliance and enforcement • Greenfields agreements for new enterprises The groups covering compliance enforcement and Greenfields agreements began meeting from the week starting June 22. The three other groups began their meetings the following week.

The Attorney-General will directly chair the first rounds of meetings of all groups and will be assisted by deputy chair and fellow West Australian Tim Marney, who is a former state under treasurer and a current principal at Nous Group.

Several third party organisations and individuals will also be invited to present to or advise the groups on one or more occasions, providing expert experience and realworld perspectives on relevant issues. These third-party contributions will be determined by agreement of the 10 primary members of each working group. It is hoped that each group will be able to reach a consensus by September on the best way forward that can then be put in place by government, either through legislation or regulation.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

The membership of each group is as follows: Group 1 – Casuals Employer organisations: Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Ai Group, Council of Small Business Associations of Australia (COSBOA), Australian Retailers Association (ARA), Australian Higher Education Industrial Association.

Unions: Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), United Workers Union (UWU), Health Services Union (HSU).

Group 2 – Award Simplification Employer organisations: ACCI, Ai Group, COSBOA, Australian Hotels Association (AHA), National Retail Association (NRA).

Unions: ACTU (2 reps), UWU, Australian Workers Union (AWU), Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA).

Group 3 – Enterprise Agreement Making Employer organisations: ACCI, Ai Group, AMMA Australian Resources and Energy Group, Business Council of Australia (BCA), Master Builders Australia (MBA).

Unions: ACTU, SDA, Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), Transport Workers Union (TWU), Electrical Trades Union (ETU).

Group 4 – Compliance and Enforcement Employer organisations: ACCI, Ai Group, National Farmers Federation (NFF), COSBOA, AHA. Unions: ACTU (2 reps), Finance Sector Union (FSU), Australian Services Union (ASU), Independent Education Union (IEU).

Group 5 – Greenfields Agreements Employer organisations: ACCI, AMMA, Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), Australian Constructors Association (ACA), MBA. Unions: ACTU, Construction Forestry Mining Maritime and Energy Union (CFMMEU), AWU, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), ETU.

Page 13

Putting workers first.

Can the union, employer groups and the government see past their differences?

In a bid to restart the economy during the pandemicinduced recession, Prime Minister Scott Morrison shelved the controversial Ensuring Integrity bill – a bill that would have given the Federal Court the power to disqualify unions – in favour of the JobMaker program, which includes an industrial relations (IR) reform.

As part of this four-month process, union leaders, employers and industry groups will gather in an attempt to fix systematic IR issues in current workplace law and contracts, before the Federal Budget in October 2020.

While the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) welcomed this decision, they noted such divisive regulations shouldn’t have been on the table in the first place.

“The Ensuring Integrity bill was an attack on the basic rights which are enjoyed by all Australians. The withdrawal of this bill is a good first step as part of the ongoing IR roundtable process, but it never should have been proposed,” said an ACTU spokesperson.

The focus on economic recovery will be an opportunity for unions and employers to initiate major change, says UNSW economist.

Job creation has also taken centre stage on the government’s agenda, with the Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reporting an all-time high of 927,600 unemployed in May 2020.

The timing is critical, given the removal of workers’ eligibility from the JobKeeper program in coming months.

Throughout the pandemic, the wage subsidy scheme has kept approximately 5.5 million workers in a job.

“The JobKeeper program has been an essential way to keep the lights on by keeping workers attached to their employers even if they are temporarily stood down,” said UNSW Economist Tim Harcourt.

However, the removal of this program may cause a substantial adjustment in the labour market. A higher level of public spending might also be needed to restart the economy.

“Fiscally, the government could consider an extension or a phasing-out of JobKeeper in stages, as the labour market recovers to reduce the adverse impact of the adjustment,” Mr Harcourt said.

To curtail any potential economic shock upon the removal of JobKeeper, the PM flagged that the skills sector would require a reform to rebuild the economy post-pandemic.

The focus on job creation estimated at $1.5 billion, would see an overhaul of workers’ skills to accommodate the current economic climate and business needs.

Upskilling the Australian workforce to restart the economy “The ‘learning economy’ will be key to raising skill levels to help create and fill the jobs of the future in a

Page 14

post -COVID-19 recovery. The university, vocational and technical education sectors could be streamlined to provide for lifelong learning to better equip the Australian workforce for the labour market of the future.”

From a union standpoint, the ACTU supported the PM’s decision for job protection and job creation.

“Investment in skills is critical to jobs creation and has never been more important than it is now, as we try to find a way out of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic,” an ACTU spokesperson said.

However, the organisation questioned the authenticity of the PM’s claim to create more jobs, given the history of a lack of funding from the Morrison Government prior to the pandemic. Just last year, a two per cent cut in skills training and vocational training resulted in 150,000 fewer apprenticeships and directly impacted youth unemployment, sparking uncertainty in job prospects.

“The Morrison Government’s unprecedented cuts to skills training have been a drag on economic growth and has let down a huge number of young people.

“The growth of insecure work is no accident. It is a result of a conscious business model that promotes the fragmentation of traditional employment arrangements and the shifting of financial risk from employers to workers.

Labour hire and sham contracting are clear examples of this business model,” an ACTU spokesperson said.

Is an industrial relations reform possible?

“When looking at what Scott Morrison is proposing in 2020, it’s important to look at what the Accord of 1983 was, and what it was not,” Mr Harcourt said.

The Accord of 1983 was not solely focused on wages and IR, but instead successfully established social landmarks such as Medicare and superannuation guarantee.

In comparison, Scott Morrison’s IR reform proposal aims at workplace issues such as casual and fixedterm employees pay, enterprise bargaining and award simplifications.

For the IR reform to work, the ACTU stated the government and employers would need to compromise.

“We need to restore balance to our labour market.

For this we must: revise our labour laws and labour market institutions, re-visit our wage fixing mechanisms, reconsider the unfettered expansion of precarious employment arrangements, and strengthen the capacity for workers to protect their rights by organising in their trade unions,” said an ACTU spokesperson.

Only time will tell if the priority of the ACTU and employers will be on job creation and providing an IR framework that supports “a fair go for the worker and the right to have a go for the employer”.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Train Driving in the DNA We thank Tony ‘Flea’ Healey for supplying the following family background and hope to see the family on the footplate for many years to come .

It all started a little over 50 years ago, when a young Tony Healey told his grandfather he would be a train driver when he grew up.

Tony and his family lived in Halloran Street Lilyfield at the time and was only two houses down the street from where his grandparents lived.

Granddad would take Tony across Lilyfield Road and sit him on the fence adjacent to the Rozelle yards and they would watch trains come and go and shunt the yards. Legend has it that at around 4 years of age, Tony told his grandfather he wanted to be a train driver.

The dream eventually grew into reality when Tony joined the job as a call boy at Eveleigh in 1978. He did indeed ‘grow up’ to be a driver taking his appointment at Broadmeadow in 1984.

Having grown up a little more, along came a son. Justin in 1995 and a daughter Katie in 1998.

With neither of the offspring having aspirations to join the railway or follow the footsteps of their dad, Justin was included in a safeworking

school in around 2011 in case there was nothing else out there for him when he left school. Justin wasn’t too sure of which direction he would take when his school days were done, so whilst actually still at school and safeworking qualified, the old man would take Justin with him as his ‘mate’ on a few jobs here and there and with that came some practical experience on a few light engine movements and the occasional job in and around Parkes, N.S.W. where the family now lived. Eventually when school was over and done with, Justin was employed through a labour hire company as a second person with John Holland Rail when that was a thing, and Hollands ran their own infrastructure trains all over NSW. Justin then chose to stay on the job when he was offered a job with SSR, and there he gained a vast amount of valuable experience and eventually his ‘appointment’ as a driver. Justin is currently employed with Pacific National as a driver in Parkes.

And now for the young lady of the family. NO ONE, literally no one, would have assumed that Katie

Tony and Katie continuing on the railway family tradition

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

would ever even consider following in father and brothers’ footsteps, and when school ended for Katie, she relocated to Newcastle and enrolled in a business degree at university. When the studies were over, Katie filled in the gaps with a few odd jobs here and there, until a position with Sydney trains was advertised for trainee train drivers in Sydney. With a little bit of gentle persuasion from the old man, Katie applied for and obtained the position on 29th July 2020, and is currently back in school at Petersham, full time, as a trainee driver. Who’d a thunk it.

With the old boy at NSW TrainLink based in Dubbo, Justin at Parkes with PN and Katie now with Sydney trains, we have a trifecta of father, son and daughter all “on the job” and members of the RTBU. There has certainly been father and sons on the job over the years, but if in fact, father, son AND daughter on the railways in “loco” as drivers is unsure.

Page 15

On the Campaign Trail New InterCity Fleet: Campaign Update Through August the RTBU continued our campaign to keep our rail network safe.

NSW Trains and Transport for NSW have ploughed ahead with their plans to introduce the New InterCity Fleet, using an operating model that in view of the RTBU and our members is unsafe.

The model proposed by NSW Trains shifts all safety responsibilities from Guards, and places them squarely on the shoulders of Drivers.

NSW Trains believes the introduction of CCTV cameras can replace the safety critical role of Guard. This technology also includes an In Cab Camera, a monitoring tool that the RTBU nationally opposes.

In the proposed model the so called “Customer Service Guard”, will not be the first point of contact for emergencies with calls going to a central call centre, they will also not physically monitor the platform at the safety critical departure and arrival at the platform.

We view this as an unacceptable risk to members, and the community alike.

For over 160 years the union has been central to the introduction of any new rolling stock. We have engaged in consultation with goodwill and commitment.

This goodwill has now disappeared. NSW Trains and Transport for NSW have taken deliberate steps to exclude the RTBU and our members from having a say in how we keep our network safe.

The New InterCity Fleet, if rolled out in its current form, is the first step to Driver Only Operations being introduced across our network. The Union is fighting this disastrous model using every resource available to us.

Depot Tours: In August RTBU Officials and Senior Delegates travelled across the network speaking with members about the NIF. At the meetings members first heard from management, and

Page 16

the anger was palpable as members, and delegates challenged NSW Trains management. We challenged them on their process, questioned them on how they were going to ensure our safety and queried what had happened to the commitment from Government that a second, safety qualified person would remain on every train.

Following this, Senior Delegates and Officials met with members and provided the facts about the NIF and sought their guidance about the next steps in the campaign.

At the Depot meetings, and in a subsequent online survey 98% of members told the Union they would refuse to crew the NIF, in its current form, because the model is unsafe.

NSW Trains didn’t make it easy by providing us with rooms with limited capacity. Members did not let that stop them and insisted that management meet them outside.

We also hosted a BBQ for members at Katoomba and a Zoom meeting for members who could not attend the Depot Tour.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Legal Update: Classification Dispute In late July the RTBU challenged NSW Trains attempts to alter the NSW Trains Enterprise Agreement 2018 without the approval of members. The dispute centred on clauses 12 and 13, which prescribe the process for members to vote on proposed changes to their employment conditions.

Unfortunately the Fair Work Commission in their decision failed working people, by ruling that NSW Trains can introduce these new classifications without the approval of members.

We will, of course, appeal this outrageous decision.

It demonstrates that we cannot rely on the Government or its institutions to protect us, so instead this fight will be won by members, standing together on the ground.

OIM Dispute On 1 September 2020, the RTBU finally won access to the NIF for the OIM Group to be able to view the Operating Instruction Manual (OIMs) being tested on the NIF, For months, NSW Trains and RailConnect have been

The RTBU team at the Fair Work Commission blocking union and HSR access to to the NIF train to prevent the group from testing the proposed operating procedures.

Despite serious safety concerns being raised by RTBU representatives and HSRS, NSW Trains continued to block this access at every step.

We know the NIF has been plagued with problems since its inception, and there is little doubt more issues will be exposed through this process.

Cleaners, Station Staff and Train Crew – Taking the Fight to Bathurst On the 29 June 2020 Cleaners, Station Staff and Train Crew took the fight against privatisation and the New Intercity Fleet (NIF) to Bathurst MP and the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Paul Toole’s electoral office.

The Minister has failed to protect local jobs which will be impacted by the NIF and the decision by NSW Trains to tender out the cleaning contract which is currently being performed by Sydney Trains cleaners in regional areas such as Lithgow.

The action was a great success with members travelling via a minibus and private transport.

At the action, several local media covered the event where the RTBU’s position against the privatisation of cleaning during the COVID crisis was made very clear.

Alex Claassens was quoted in the Western Advocate as saying:

Members taking their protest to Bathurst MP Paul Toole

“The NSW Government’s moves to privatise the cleaning services on our intercity trains is a shocking attack on commuters and local workers at the best of times. To do it during COVID-19 when these cleaners have been putting themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe is beyond disgraceful,” It was disappointing that Mr. Toole did not take the time to speak with the members (some of which reside in his electorate) that travelled so far to deliver a message. However, not to be put off the members left a corflute which contained over 150 signatures against Mr. Toole’s office door.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Page 17

Safety Matters Emergency buttons on new trains answered by call centre: union slams safety risk Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW has slammed the unsafe operating model of new regional trains, revealing the emergency call buttons on the imported New Intercity Fleet will connect commuters on regional trains to a Sydney call centre, rather than an on-board guard equipped to respond immediately.

Commuters seeking urgent help on intercity trains must first go through a call centre monitoring 55 trains and 550 carriages. These Customer Service Coordinators are also tasked with providing information to commuters, crew and drivers, as well as managing on-board announcements.

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens says in an emergency, commuters need and expect a direct line to staff on the train, rather than being forced to go through a customer service call centre that is juggling all trains on the network as well as non-urgent inquiries.

“This operating model which responds to emergencies by triaging commuters through a customer service centre is simply unacceptable, both to the travelling public and the workers who are tasked with keeping them safe,” says Mr Claassens.

“This is part of an attempt by Transport for NSW to remove safety responsibilities from guards on trains, replacing them with customer service roles that have a lower classification reflective of their reduced role.

Page 18

“Safety responsibilities are instead being transferred to drivers, who are expected to monitor the platform via dozens of tiny CCTV screens – all while trying to drive the train. It only takes a heartbeat for a child to slip through the gap.

“Making drivers responsible for monitoring passenger safety is equivalent to expecting pilots to perform safety demonstrations on planes: dangerous and absurd. Drivers already have a job, and it requires their full attention.

“While the NSW Government maintains guards will still be present, in effect these staff will no longer be guards, and these flawed trains prevent them from properly watching the platform for distressed commuters.

“The NSW Government must put commuter safety first. It must fix these flawed imported trains that are not suitable for our network and ensure they are properly staffed by workers who are equipped to keep the public safe.”

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

TRAM & BUS EXPRESS Get on the TRAM & BUS EXPRESS Tram and 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.

tramandbusexpress.com.au

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 Bruce Gale on 0414 934 878 or the union office on (02) 9264 2511

Page 14RAIL & ROAD September 2020

raIL & rOaD June 2010 Page 19

Whistlestop Wishing Bryan Holland a Happy Retirement

Family and colleagues at Bryan Holland Farewell On 10 July 2020 Bryan Holland retired from Signalling after a distinguished career of over thirty years with the railways.

Bryan joined the railways in 1969 where he worked in many areas within the railways before taking a break for about eleven years.

After his return to the railways, Bryan eventually took up a position within signalling, witnessing many changes, including the amalgamation of Springwood Box into Blacktown.

Bryan was an active union member for his entire career, and always quick to assist his fellow members with support and advice, regardless of what area they worked in.

Page 20

Bryan took shift work in his stride and saw that it allowed him more flexibility for family life.

Bryan’s wife Bev and the family attended his farewell at Blacktown Box and many fond memories were exchanged with colleagues.

The Signallers SubDivision thanks Bryan for his continued support, assistance and wish him and his family a fantastic future.

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

Mick Cartwright Calls it a Day After almost 52 years on the job, and almost twenty of those as a Union Organiser, Mick Cartwright has decided to seek out the easier pace of retirement. We have provided a summary of Mick’s working life that he has provided below, and join members and colleagues in wishing him a long and happy retirement. A casual send-off dinner was held in late August, and once COVID restrictions are eased, a more formal recognition of Mick’s service to the industry and our union will take place at the next fully convened Branch Council.

My Time in Rail To join the NSW Government Railways I travelled from Hay sometime in February 1969 to Sydney, I did an exam and medical at 509 Pitt St and was told that I had a job at Kempsey, I told the bloke that I had no idea where Kempsey was and that the Station Master at Goolgowi said I could have a job there, he said ok and you will start there on the 10 March! I was supposed to travel home on the Mail train that night but a train strike was called and I had to stay another six days in Sydney with $10.00 spending money. My first experience with the union.

When I started at Goolgowi as a Junior Station Assistant the Station Master said that I did not have to join the Union, but another person said that I had to join the Union and I signed up with the ARU, I worked at Goolgowi for about eight months and was then transferred to Griffith and worked in the Parcel Office until I was eighteen in 1971 and was appointed as a Station Assistant in the Goods Shed. In 1973 I went to a Guards school at Junee and after passing I worked as a Shunter for a short while and then appointed as a Guard at Junee. I transferred to Sydney in 1979 and soon became active in the Union, I was elected as a Guards Rep in 1985 and Vice President of Sydney No:1 Sub-Branch about 1989, President in about 1993 and President of the Metropolitan Guards I think in 1996. When Ben Nimerawi left his Guards job in 1999 I became the acting Secretary, I had also been elected as the President of the Operations Division, in this position I was able to influence a number of rule changes as

RAIL & ROAD September 2020

a lot of grades where not being represented, the Guards SubDivision, Signallers Sub-Division, On Board Sub-Division, CSA Sub-Division and the Terminal Operaters Sub-Divisions were created. The Secretaries of each Sub-Division were automatically elected to the Division and another Delegate from their Sub-Division, this ensured that each group was equally represented, I was also the first Secretary of the Guards Sub-Division.

I have also been elected to Branch Council, National Council and National Executive, I was also one of the last elected Branch Organisers. The Rail Industry is a great Industry to work in and I believe that I was lucky to be given that opportunity, I have met a lot of great people over the years and made a lot of friends, I would like to acknowledge Jim Walsh, Nick Lewocki, Don McKechnie, Ken Sullivan, Phill Kessey, Michael Farhat, Mick Schmitzer and Alex Claassens, and thank them for their support and friendship, there are many more who have also helped me and I thank them for their friendship. I wish everyone all the best for the future and it is important to be unified in our great Union as conservative governments are eroding our working conditions and will continue to do so until Australians realise and be more mindful how they vote and also make sure we keep the ABC and its independence! Thank you all it has been a great career for an uneducated bloke from the Riverina!

Post Script: Mick skipped over his many years as a full-time union organiser, and in doing so, failed to mention that many members will be long indebted to Mick for his tireless work in protecting working conditions, saving members jobs and resolving countless disputes affecting members across the Rail Operations Division. On behalf of those members, we would like to thank Mick for his many years of dedicated service to our union and members.

Page 21

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RAIL & ROAD September 2020

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 September 2020

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 23

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

We were there for you then and we’re here for you now.

At 130 years of age, rt health is the oldest registered health fund in Australia. It was started by railway workers, in many ways just like you, more than 130 years ago. People who wanted a better deal for themselves, their colleagues and their families if they were to be injured at work or fall ill.

A group of employees formed a cooperative where each person regularly contributed a small amount of money to a fund that would be used to help any of the group if they needed a hand with expenses related to illness or injury. That cooperative went on to form Australia’s first registered health fund, now known as rt health.

So when we say we are here for you and always have been, we’re not making it up. No Australian health fund has been around as long as rt health. And being a mutual, not-for-profit, we will always put our members first.

We hope to be here for rail and transport workers for another 130 years and beyond.

Because you’re a member of the RTBU, when you join rt health you will receive: • • • •

5% discount on all levels of cover (except Ambulance only cover) $150 Woolworths WISH gift card as a welcome gift An immediate waiver of all 2&3 month waiting periods An extra $200 WISH gift card if you get someone else to join1

To receive this offer call our dedicated RTBU phone line or send us an email.

1300 782 810

join@rthealthfund.com.au I www.rthealthfund.com.au/rtbu See www.rthealthfund.com.au/mim-gift-cards for more details.

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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM Surname

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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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The RTBU Executive, Officers and Staff wish all members and their families

L

AM AND

S

R AI

BU

Level 4, 321 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000

TR

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

UN

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