WA BRANCH MAY 2025 MONTHLY WHEEL
AUSTRALIAN UNIONS PRESENT DEMANDS AMIDST RECENT STRIKE ACTIVITY
2026 will be a big year for our union!
A trade union leader has vowed to inflict the most disruptive strikes in history on Australia, collapsing freight and passenger transport networks and choking supermarket food supplies. In an explosive speech, Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine threatened the widespread pain as 200 enterprise agreements between Australian workers and companies expire next year.
The agreements affect airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia, logistics companies Linfox and Toll, Amazon, supermarket chain Aldi, construction materials company Boral, waste disposal chain Cleanaway and airport ground handling firm Swissport. 'Make no mistake –this will be the largest co-ordinated industrial campaign in Australian transport history,' Mr Kaine told the TWU's national conference in Brisbane on Wednesday. 'This alignment of agreements isn't accidental. It's been carefully orchestrated to maximise our collective bargaining power.'
Mr Kaine vowed the TWU, a trade union affiliated with Anthony Albanese 's Labor Party, was prepared to shut down Australia's transport logistics networks unless employers met union demands. 'We are prepared to shut down Australian transport,' he said. 'There will be disruption. It will be significant. It will be coordinated. And it will be effective.'
Mr Kaine also boasted the Labor Party would be in power for at least another six years, given the size of its landslide majority. 'We're now looking at the potential of six more years of Labor government, six more years of progress for working people,' he said. 'We are in the best position we have ever been in to create change.'
He argued the co-ordinated strikes - legally allowed during enterprise negotiations - would be designed to address workplace safety. 'This disruption isn't our goal - it's a means to an end,' Mr Kaine said. 'We must have an industry where workers stop dying, where they receive fair pay, in short, where standards aren't constantly undermined by ruthless, profiteering cost-cutting. From airports to highways, from distribution centres to city streets – whatever it takes to stop this
client pressure killing workers, community members and good businesses.'
The Opposition's employment and workplace relations spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Labor's multi-employer bargaining laws had encouraged unions to be more militant. 'This type of widespread and co-ordinated industrial action is exactly what I warned about at the time the multi-employer bargaining laws went through the previous Parliament,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'The unions have been emboldened by an Albanese Government hellbent on handing them the sort power they desire and now they are threatening to "shut down Australian transport". 'This is a test for the new Workplace Relations Minister, Amanda Rishworth. She needs to ensure that these strikes do not go ahead. The Albanese Government needs to bring this militant union under control.'
can be replicated across an industry. 'When workers across the transport industry negotiate together, when they stand together, they can achieve outcomes that would be impossible in isolation,' Mr Kaine said.
Mr Kaine told union members in Brisbane unions had waited years to be able to flex its industrial muscle. 'That system, that legal right to take protected industrial action, has afforded workers in Australia so many of the protections we now take for granted,' he said. 'Our alignment preparation to legally deploy our system to awesome positive effect has taken years. 'Now the time has arrived to significantly shift that dial yet again.'
Employment and Workplace Relations
Minister Amanda Rishworth said workers had a right to take protected industrial action. 'While we support the rights of workers to take protected action, the general rate of industrial disputes remains low compared to historical trends,' she told Daily Mail Australia Workers are allowed to strike during enterprise bargaining negotiations thanks to the Fair Work Act of 2009, introduced by a Labor government.
The TWU's vow to shut down Australia's transport network is an extreme position compared with past blockades. In 1979, it declined to join 3,000 owner truck drivers in blockading highways in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia in protest at state government road taxes. The TWU counts Labor MPs and senators among its members including Tony Sheldon and new Ageing and Seniors Minister Sam Rae.
Since coming to power in 2022, the Albanese Government has also revived multi-employer bargaining where pay rises in a workplace
HEY SWISSPORT!
SAFETY IS
NOT
A LAST RESORT
TWU MEMBERS TAKE ACTION
Last week, TWU members and officials marched at Brisbane International Airport calling on Swissport to urgently address its appalling work conditions
TWU members also called on clients like Qantas to be held accountable for its supply chain.
The march was held at the same airport where a 21year-old worker almost lost his leg in a serious workplace safety incident on Christmas Eve last year
Click here/Scan to watch the media coverage of TWU members’ Swissport action
Congrats to around 300 Swissport workers who have spoken about the appalling work and safety standards in the TWU WHS survey conducted by TWU members.
The results of this sur vey are damning.
This is a huge first step in our plan to make a real change at Swissport for workers across Australia.
FORMER SWISSPORT WORKER SPEAKS OUT
Ryan Cresdee, a former Swissport worker, addressed the media highlighting Swissport’s serious neglect of workplace safety standards
Click here/Scan here to watch Ryan Cresdee’s media address
SAFETY MUST START WITH TRAINING:
TWU RESPONDS TO EYRE
HWY TRAGEDIES
Following 11 deaths on the Eyre Highway between January and March, the NHVR has launched a cross-border operation this week targeting heavy vehicle safety.
While this "sting" by the regulator will go some way to preventing deaths on our roads, the TWU has been calling for improved training in the industry with an apprentice-style competency training that builds on the skills it takes to become a professional operator on these longhaul routes.
State Secretary Tim Dawson reminds truck drivers that there is no delivery and no freight more important than your life, that safety should be the highest priority for all truck drivers and that safety culture should begin in the foundations how truck drivers are trained in this country
DELIVERING A MODERN INDUSTRY WORKFORCE
The Transport Workers Union alongside the Western Roads Federation (WRF) are leading efforts to tackle Western Australia’s transport and logistics industry challenges.
Some of the challenges include ongoing skills shortages, an aging workforce, and disruptive technological changes, by aligning closely with government priorities and workforce development plans we can work to ensure the industry is equipped for the future.
The collaboration between the TWU, WRF and TAFE, has already trained and placed nearly 1,000 workers into the industry—including a growing number of women, Indigenous students, and people from marginalised backgrounds.
This model is now forming the basis for a proposed State Transport and Logistics Training Centre, which would provide whole-of-career training across roles and offer pathways to higher education.
TWU WA State Secretary, Tim Dawson said, "The TWU is proud to be a part of driving practical training solutions giving real opportunities to young people, and finding solutions for the truck driver shortage.
Comprehensive training including an apprentice-style of training for the transport industry will be essential to ensuring truck drivers have the skills to keep WA roads safer."
Tackling industry-specific issues such as mental health, cultural safety, and technology adoption, by engaging with schools, prisons, and community groups, and working on specialised training modules in areas like dangerous goods, grain handling, and over-size load movement, we aim to build a more inclusive, skilled, and resilient workforce—one capable of supporting the state’s economic diversification and infrastructure goals.
TWU DELEGATES FROM TGE AND LINFOX MAKING SURE MEMBERS VOICES ARE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.
RECRUITING IN THE REGIONS
How sexual harassment protections in Australia have evolved through respect at work laws
An important message from our friends at Slater and Gordon lawyers
Sexual harassment can occur in any industry at any time, so it’s important to be mindful of how we treat each other in the workplace.
In fact, a 2020 National Inquiry Report by Respect@Work outlined that workplace sexual harassment is “prevalent and pervasive” and occurs at every level of Australian workplaces.
In this article, we’ll explore the definition of work-related sexual harassment, the evolution of Respect at Work, new employer obligations, and how recent laws are ensuring equal access to justice for victims of sexual harassment.
What is work-related sexual harassment?
Work-related sexual harassment is unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour which makes a person feel offended, humiliated, or intimidated that occurs in the course of employment, in workplaces, or at work-related events.
This behaviour can be a one-off incident or a continuing pattern of behaviour involves unwanted or unwelcome physical and non-physical behaviours, including:
• Touching
• Staring or leering
• Suggestive comments
• Unwanted invitations to go out on dates
• Requests for sex
• Intrusive questions about a person’s private life or body
• Use of explicit pictures, posters, emails, or social media activity
THE EVOLUTION OF RESPECT AT WORK
In 2021, the Federal Government strengthened protections against sexual harassment through introducing the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Act 2021. Essentially, the Act provides workers with stronger legal protections and greater empowerment to seek justice for workplace sexual harassment.
The 2021 Act built on its 2009 predecessor in some important ways:
Clearly defined phrases such as “sexually harass” and “sexually harassed at work”.
Expanded the anti-bullying jurisdiction of the Fair Work Commission.
Clarified that sexual harassment, in relation to an employee’s employment agreement, can be a valid reason for dismissal.
EMPLOYER’S NEW OBLIGATIONS
While sexual harassment legislation largely protects employees, additional provisions in recent years have imposed certain obligations on employers. For example, in 2022, the Respect at Work Act 2022 outlined that employers and business owners must take reasonable measures to eliminate, or at the very least minimise, discriminatory conduct in the workplace, including sexual harassment.
EQUAL ACCESS AND COSTS
Financial strain and economic burdens are often listed as barriers to pursuing sexual harassment claims among workers. That’s why in 2024, the Federal Parliament passed the Australian Human Rights Commission Amendment (Costs Protection) Bill 2023, which inserted a new “equal access” cost protection for applications in federal unlawful discrimination proceedings, including for sexual harassment.
This equal access cost protection applies to all proceedings commenced under the federal anti-discrimination laws and applies to proceedings commenced in the Federal Court of Australia, Federal Circuit, and Family Court of Australia. Likewise, it also applies to appeals to the High Court.
In other words, if you win your case in one of these courts, the court will typically order the other party to pay your costs. However, if the court decides that you caused some of the costs through your own actions, the other party might not have to pay those costs.
While these changes are widely welcomed and signal a positive direction for victims of work-related sexual harassment accessing justice, there is so much more to be done to ensure the safety of all people at work in all industries.
Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, once said that “sexual harassment is not inevitable. It is not acceptable. It is preventable”. It’s vital that we keeping pushing for more reforms to ensure all Australian workplaces are safe and free from sexual harassment.
A SURVEY OF TWU MEMBERS IN APRIL REVEALED OUR INDUSTRY IS NOT EXEMPT FROM SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
HAVE YOUR SAY AND COMPLETE THE TWU WOMEN'S SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE SURVEY HERE:
ENGAGING WITH OUR SPONSORS
In March 2025, TWUSUPER and Mine Super officially joined forces to become Team Super, the top specialist super fund for transport, energy and mining workers. Bringing together two strong, industry-driven funds to create the $22 billion fund means with increased scale, the Fund can further enhance their products and services, deliver greater investment opportunities, invest in technology and likely, lower fees.
The merger solidifies the Fund’s position as a champion for Aussie workers, dedicated to protecting and growing their retirement savings. The rebrand is a powerful statement of both funds’ long-standing heritage in their respective industries. The name Team Super reflects the original industry base of both funds – transport, energy and mining workers, and a deep ongoing commitment to the history and service to these sectors.
Local service, where it matters
To help demystify super and help members make informed financial decisions, the team regularly visits work sites and industry events to deliver information sessions about financial wellbeing. This boots on the ground approach is supported by an Australian-based Contact Centre and a network of regional offices in key areas across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. For more personalised support, comprehensive personal financial advice is available through Team Super Financial Advice.
If you’re a former TWUSUPER member, and would like to know more about the merger, please refer to the Fund’s website teamsuper.com/twusuper
For more information about Team Super, visit teamsuper. com
ME BANK HOME LOAN HEALTH CHECK
Past investment performance isn’t necessarily an indication of future performance. THURSDAY 7th OF AUGUST @
a Home Loan Health Check with Senior Mobile Banker Jeff Russell Senior Mobile Banker Jeff Russell will be visiting the TWU Office in Kewdale on Thursday, 7 August, offering free Home Loan Health Checks exclusively for TWU members. Jeff can assist with:
LGBTQIA+ Transport Workers’ Survey
As part of our commitment to inclusivity and equity, this survey has been designed to better understand the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals working in the transport industry. With Pride month approaching, we aim to shine a light on unique challenges and barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ workers and give a voice to those experiences.
The insights shared will help guide ongoing efforts to create a safer, fairer, and more supportive industry.
All responses are confidential and won't be shared with employers or members.
