Chapter 6: - Rail, Tram and Bus Union of NSW

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*On Wooden Rails Chapter 6 8/30/05 8:50 PM Page 224 On Wooden Rails - Celebrating 150 Years of Work on the NSW Railways and are facing redundancy in the near future as the company has notified employees that only two of the current eleven positions will be retained, and the 2 will be located in Adelaide. 4 It was a good secure job if you could get it. Marsha recalls her first attempt in applying for the job. “ I went to Sydney, got one question wrong in the exams, another girl got the job. Next time I got a perfect score and got the job.” Marsha’s starting salary was $23 per fortnight and had to pay her mum $15 board The telegraphy office at Werris Creek consisted of two on the switchboard, four in telegraph, supervisor, teleprinter operator – usually eight or nine just on day work. We had a lot of codes we had to use, we had to hand write, hand to have reasonably clear handwriting, then we thought we were the ants pants when we got a typewriter. The technology changed a lot in the time that the sisters have been there. “It was exciting – we had to learn the new systems, then teach others how to use it. Everything was hand written, the new switchboard was about 12 inches wide compared to the big old one, telex became obsolete, we started using computers…. Just had to adjust – it was also exciting to learn the new things, and the computers – keyed in all the freight trains.” When Lesley joined the telegraphy office, Marsha was her supervisor at Werris Creek – they also live together. At one point there were 3 Williamson sisters in the office. Lesley insists that she didn’t get any special treatment, or at least not in the positive sense, and recalls a time when Marsha ‘took her into the boss once’. Marsha is unapologetic, ‘she had to respect the authority of the job, at home was different, what happened at work stayed at work’. Marsha was in Werris Creek between 1966 and 1983. She then transferred to Newcastle. “We were told then that Werris Creek would start winding back Previously, at its peak there would have been up to 1000 rail workers employed at Werris Creek, now there’s about 20.The Station was the centre of town back then.” Lesley stayed at Werris Creek until 1990, then left the job for a while and returned and joined Marsha in Newcastle. They have worked in a number of jobs. Lesley was in the telegraph section from 1978 to 1990, and has worked as a station assistant, trainee signaller, and is currently employed as an Incident Information Officer. 4 Interview with Marsha and Lesley Williamson, June 2005 224 More Playful Times Lesley and Marsha fondly remember times when there were many more light moments on the job. “Things have changed – not much play now - there was a time one night when they brought the football train up – David Hill [then CEO of State Rail] came over to the telegraph office – brought some grog with him, we had a drink. The main focus then was to get your job done”. Marsha also insists that when she was leaving Werris Creek for Newcastle “ the DS bought a carton over. Now you’d be out of the place, if you want to lose your job, that’s the way to do it now – have a drink” “Workers are becoming more selfish, you’ve got your friends who will look after you, but people are generally much more selfish now – its dog eat dog. The boss was part of your team; you’d look after each other. In the country you get on with people you work with. We’d all get in a car or two and go to the pictures on the weekend. Since they told us they are cutting our eleven jobs to two and moving them to Adelaide, things changed after that – nobody cares now, probably just take redundancy and see what happens”. Even though they are facing imminent redundancy, they would and do reluctantly and selectively advise friends or relatives to seek work on the railways. “Not with ARTC – their ethics are bad – they just don’t care about their workers. Wouldn’t give you two bob for ARTC. But there are areas, country stations and so on that are still good to work in.” Their nephew [the son of the sister who didn’t join the railways] started at Werris Creek as a trainee driver, maintaining a strong family tradition. They defend their co-workers as the real value and asset of the job, and a close-knit group and express concern that the future won’t hold the same loyalty to the job. “People outside the industry turn their nose up and say you ‘only’ work on the railways – but everyone that works there has got a bit of pride in their job. We can say what we want – like family – just don’t let an outsider knock it. Theirs a lifetime of railways in our family, its in the blood. The railways of the future won’t have many people in it, and people will come to the job purely for money. A lot of the railways will be in museums.” Whatever their future in the industry, the railways is all the richer for having the Williamson sisters in their family for the past decades. Chapter 6 - No Place for a Woman
*On Wooden Rails Chapter 6 8/30/05 8:50 PM Page 225 Women on the Freight Footplate The Pacific National Four Pacific National has four new drivers in the Hunter Valley (Leah Pearce, Suzanne Molattam, Amanda Butcher and Bronwen MacDonald)– all recent graduates from their initial driver training, and all of them women. The PN four were originally five, but one of their colleagues has since left the job. They all hope to soon be driving freight trains on the mainline. This is the patch that previously belonged to Sallie Higgins as the lone woman on the footplate of the Hunter freight locos. Suzanne Molattam & Bronwen MacDonald agreed to be interviewed and discuss the details and their thoughts on their new career choices. Until August of 2004, these women had headed off on different career paths. Suzanne was working in detention centres around the country for a private company. Bronwen had spent the past eight years with the local Council as a swimming coach and on the outdoors staff in parks and gardens, fire mitigation, waste services, employed as a full-time casual. Responding to the adverts for locomotive assistants meant a wage cut for Suzanne and an increase for Bronwen, but promised the possibility of stability and permanency for both. Bronwen has 2 teenage children, and since starting with Pacific National has ‘parented by mobile phone’. Suzanne, as a guard in detention centres was travelling away to different locations – ‘Christmas Island, Western Australia, South Australia – six weeks away, two weeks away – then the company lost the contract – new company were going to employ people locally. I had a house here, so decided to re-establish here. They thought that they were going to be a second person or ‘assistant’. Had no idea what it involved, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn that this was part of the training to become driver. Neither were interested in pursuing traditional ‘feminine jobs’ preferred what they describe as ’non-girly jobs’– prefer to get out and muck in get the hands on. However, as Bronwen explains “driving wasn’t a conscious career choice – if I want to be a train driver, rather a friend mentioned the job ad, so followed up with employment agency.” 5 5 Interview with Suzanne Molattam and Bronwen MacDonald, June 2005 On Wooden Rails - Celebrating 150 Years of Work on the NSW Railways Bronwen MacDonald & Suzanne Molattam Learning the Ropes The company was looking for twenty people, and five women applicants were selected. As part of the routine recruitment process they went through the preliminary testing – aptitude test, maths, English, comprehension, mechanical and logical sequences, in all about six tests. Then there was the mental, with interview and questions about work – then the physical – colour blindness, general physical ability. Cardio, hearing, and drug testing. After being notified that they had been selected, they started work at Port Waratah. The new learning curve started with two weeks in the classroom in the safeworking, fatigue course –then out on the mainline as second person – keeping log books, checking signals, water and oil. They were tested on basic areas covered by the training, then went out as ‘observers’ or third person on normal shifts on the locos until qualified as second person. During this time they underwent verbal / oral tests by driver trainer. They did this until April, and then all on-the-job learning, until they qualified as Competent Operator Grade 3. Then they were brought back in to Terminal Operator’s school. Two weeks course. Until 2 weeks ago [between April and June] both were classified as Terminal Operators Level 7. Now they have commenced the terminal drivers’ course, progressing then to become Level 10 Operators. This will enable Suzanne and Bronwen to perform limited driving duties within the yard, but not on mainline, with a view to eventually becoming fully qualified drivers. After completing all necessary training they will progress to mainline driver when a position eventuates – so will train up then progress as opportunity presents. Chapter 6 - No Place for a Woman 225
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Chapter 6: - Rail, Tram and Bus Union of NSW

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