Print Post Approved25500003-01148 - Rail, Tram and Bus Union of ...

This issue of Rail & Road follows on
from a period of celebrating 150 years
of the New South Wales rail industry,
and in particular for the Union,
celebrating 150 years of work on the
railways. In this edition of the journal
there are reports on some of the
initiatives and events organised by the
Union to commemorate these
celebrations. In addition to organising
cultural events and displays, and
participating in a range of activities,
the union has produced a series of
posters and the book, On Wooden Rails
by Peter O’Connor, as permanent
tributes to workers in our industry. I
invite all members to obtain copies of
these high quality records of our proud
and long history.
Unfortunately, not everything that has
happened recently is worth celebrating.
Of particular importance to RTBU
members, their families and all
working people in this country are the
announced Federal Government
changes to the industrial relations
legislation. .While we have all been
anticipating some severe attacks in this
area, the recent proposed changes are
probably worse than most imagined.
This Government has clearly declared
that it intends to turn the world of work
on its head. The announced changes to
come into effect in November have the
potential to undermine a whol;e
generation of workers and the
conditions that they have enjoyed all
their working lives. Importantly, it also
sets the scene for the next generation of
workers entering a precarious and
dangerous working environment.
The Federal Government industrial
relations changes will give even more
power to employers to do as they
please in the workplace. It strongly
encourages individual contracts as the
preferred employment contract – a
contract that can contain as little as the
employer chooses. It removes a
number of safety nets previously
available to workers to protect them
from abuses in their work, and
seriously limits the role of unions and
the industrial relations commission as
players in resolving these grievances.
The propaganda campaign by the
Federal Government to sell these new
laws to the community use the words
‘Choices’ as their main attraction. Lets
be clear about what some of those
‘choices’ involve.
For many workers it will mean the
‘choice’ to be dismissed unfairly
without any recourse to an independent
tribunal; the ‘choice’ to work under a
‘take it or leave it’ contract
arrangement, where an individual
worker is meant to effectively negotiate
their conditions with a powerful
company. The capacity of unions to
intervene in the workplace will be
limited, as will the ability to take any
form of industrial action to protect the
collective conditions of workers. Of
particular concern are the further cut
backs to awards and agreements and
what can be contained in them. The
minimum conditions for a worker will
be whatever they can negotiate with
their employer. For workers in strong
unionised workplaces this will be
difficult, for those in weaker
bargaining positions it will be near
impossible to get a fair or reasonable
outcome. For workers currently
employed under an enterprise
agreement, who then choose or are
forced onto individual contracts (or
AWAs), they cannot return to an EBA.
At the expiry of the contract, if you
have no agreement with your employer
your pay rate is reduced to that set as
the minimum through the Fair Pay
Commission.
These attacks on workers basic
entitlements have far reaching
implications. They are not just
industrial relations issues or reforms,
they will change every aspect of
workers lives, at work, with their
families, and in their communities. The
‘choices’ to work longer or more
irregular hours, to receive less wages
and to ‘bargain’ away basic leave
entitlements, means that people will
work longer hours, under more
dangerous conditions, for less money.
There will be less time to spend with
families, friends or in community or
social activity. Workers lives will be
affected and eroded at home, in
meeting living expenses, saving and
retirement.
We need to be constantly engaged in
opposition to these new ‘choices’ and
finding ways of subverting the laws
and developing better strategies to
protect members working conditions
and lifestyles. The RTBU, in
conjunction with the ACTU and other
unions have been involved in
community campaigns to highlight the
dangers in the new laws. This must
continue, if we are to limit the most
negative aspects of these changes, and
ultimately get rid of the Federal
Government responsible for them. This
affects all of us, and it is important that
members are informed of the details of
the changes and their effects, and that
they constantly point this out to
friends, co-workers, neighbours,
family. We can only beat some of these
changes if the vast majority of the
community reject them in protest. No
laws can operate if nobody accepts or
respects them. This type of
overwhelming community response is
our best hope of stopping the worst
aspects ever hitting the ground. We
Rail and Road - August/October 2005 5