The Hot Topic

Dollars and sense at STA

Tell us what is REALLY going to make STA more efficient.

All members will be aware that STA CEO Peter Rowley has done a tour of depots trying to convince drivers to accept changes to the Enterprise Agreement he negotiated with drivers not one year ago – all in the name of “efficiency”.

Mr Rowley says drivers must accept cuts to wages and conditions to stop the future privatisation of State Transit. But some drivers have their own ideas about what would actually make STA more efficient.

At one of the depot meeting a member asked what Mr Rowley would be doing to stop the huge amount of money lost to STA through fare evasion every day. The member wanted to know why  drivers were being asked to take a hit while this continued to happen. All Mr Rowley could say was it shouldn’t be drivers’ concern.

It’s true, it shouldn’t be drivers’ concern, but when they are being asked to accept cuts to hard fought wages and conditions to “save” themselves from privatisation it becomes their concern.

We know slashing wages and conditions is no way to make bus services better or more efficient. This is just short term thinking.

Drivers know the bus network better than anyone. And we know how it could be improved. Actually improved.

So give us your ideas! We have already received information from a member on how much could be saved if STA dealt with fare evasion on buses, but what else could be done?

Comment below to have your say.

Looking back on 2012…

A Christmas message from Chris and Gary

We can hardly believe it but here we are at the final edition of Bus Express for 2012.

This year has proved that we have to be ever vigilant when it comes to protecting our rights at work.

We have seen the Government enact wholesale cuts and outsourcing of services across the board.

After fighting hard last year to secure a fair Agreement with State Transit, drivers were outraged by attempts by STA CEO Peter Rowley to vary the Agreement not one year after it was made.

Drivers responded to this by sending a message, loud and clear, to STA and to the NSW Government that an Agreement is an Agreement and they will not be held to ransom by threats of privatisation. Read more »

Light Rail wins in 2012

Light Rail workers have stood strongly together to negotiate a new Enterprise Agreement that will see 18% pay rises over 4 years with no losses to working conditions.

Members have long argued for pay rises that would bring wages in line with those of their counterparts in other cities and this outcome will go some way to closing that gap without affecting conditions. Read more »

The Hot Topic

When good faith turns bad

In 2011 the RTBU negotiated a new Enterprise Agreement with the State Transit Authority.

Both parties came to the table in good faith to find an arrangement that would shape the next three years at STA. Both parties negotiated hard but in the end an agreement was put to members and they voted with a resounding yes.

But now STA wants to go back on that Agreement. It says efficiencies have to be made and it wants them to be made by drivers.

STA CEO Peter Rowley says reform must come or we face a “very real chance that our bus services could possibly be put out to tender in the future”. He says we need to “identify areas that are seen as inefficient compared to the private bus industry” and reform them.

With these as a rationale Mr Rowley wants to introduce what have become known as the Rowley Reforms; seeking to introduce more casual workers and part time broken shifts.

Mr Rowley wants to introduce these without the consent of drivers, arguing they do not constitute Award variations. The union strenuously opposes these changes and will fight any attempt to introduce them.

He has also outlined a number of other reforms he wishes to pursue which have been outlined to members in recent correspondence from the union, one of the worst being the abolition of accumulated days off (ADO).

The union has discussed this with delegates and just as members voted with a resounding yes to the current agreement, they have come back with a resounding no on these variations.

Drivers will not be pressured into accepting lesser conditions particularly when STA can’t guarantee services won’t be privatised in the future. The union has made this clear to Mr Rowley and will continue to stand firm against this attempt to backflip on the Agreement that was made in good faith in 2011.

Know your rights: Income protection

With Brett Peters…

18. Income protection

18.1 There will be no roster changes made solely for the purpose of reducing the rake home pay of employees cover by this Award.

18.2 No shift changes will result in a loss of take home pay of more than two percent over a twelve month period (based on a financial year), below the average pay of each shift type, e.g.: AM, Day, Midday, Broken and PM shifts, except for part time rosters. For the avoidance of doubt, shift changes shall include both major and minor shift changes.

Union rejects Award variation

The RTBU would like to assure members it has no intention of consenting to any Award variations following STA CEO Mr Peter Rowley’s article on bus driver reforms in the last edition of We’re Moving Sydney (formally Transit Times).

It is disappointing that less than a year after negotiating their working conditions in good faith with State Transit, bus drivers are now being threatened with privatisation unless they accept proposed “efficiencies”. Read more »

RTBU BBQ tour goes Novocastrian

The RTBU took the BBQ tour to Hamilton last week, where Chris, Gary and David took over the BBQ, cooking up a storm in the depot and having a chat with local members about the problems they are facing behind and away from the wheel.

It was great to hear about a the implementation of a protocol to help drivers deal with rock throwing but there is clearly still a long way to go to keep drivers safe on the job from hooligans and vandals, particularly at night and when alcohol is involved. Read more »

Notice to Members: standing time dispute

See below a Notice to Members regarding the most recent matter to be placed in dispute around standing time arrangements.

The RTBU will continue to fight against the constant short cuts that STA tries to take with drivers’ conditions.

Know Your Rights: Personal Carers’ Leave

With Brett Peters…

Vice President

61. Personal Carers’ Leave

61.3 An employee must, if required by the employer, establish by production of a medical certificate OR statutory declaration, the illness of the person concerned and that the illness is such as to require care by another. Provided that, a medical certificate will be required to support any Carer’s leave in excess of 5 days per annum, unless otherwise approved by the employee’s manager.

Pay rise delivered on time

Contrary to rumours, the pay increase due on the 15th April 2012 was delivered on time without delay.

This pay rise comes despite the O’Farrell government’s unfair wage policy that caps any increase at 2.5 per cent unless employees can demonstrate cost offsets.

The paper work for this pay rise had to be approved by state Treasury as these cost offsets have to be in the bank before any money is released to fund the increases.