Region 6 EA Update – Strike Action on 31 August
As you might recall, after the suspension of strike action last month and the great win we achieved with backpay, the RTBU and TWU committed to negotiate with Transit Systems in good faith during the past few weeks.
However, on Wednesday 24 August your union delegates walked out of a meeting with Transit Systems after the company refused to agree to key claims during a bargaining meeting.
These claims are crucial to ensuring ‘Same Job Same Pay’ – protecting the conditions of legacy drivers and lifting 900 drivers. The claims that were rejected by Transit Systems were:
- All Broken Shifts must be limited to a maximum spread of 12 hours
- Broken Shift loadings must be paid at 150% after 9.5 hours and 200% after 10.5 hours
- AM/PM Shift Loadings of 15% between 5pm-12pm, 50% between 12am-4.30am and 15% between 4.30am-7am (with penalties paid across entire shift finishing after 8pm).
Transit Systems refused to accept any of these conditions… they instead offered old excuses and tried to shift the blame onto your union representatives…
Given such, we will be recommencing industrial action next Wednesday 31 August to force Transit Systems to take YOU and your bargaining representatives more seriously.
The proposed action will include two peak hour stoppages between 4am-7am and again between 2.30pm 5.30pm.
Your delegates will be holding yard meetings in the coming days to seek endorsement from YOU and prepare for the stoppage.
If you have any questions in the meantime – please don’t hesitate to contact your local delegate.
What can YOU do?
- Attend Workplace Depot Meetings
- Get Ready to take actions
- Advise other members and workers of what is happening