Region 8

Keolis Downer Northern Beaches just can’t seem to get things right. Members are still dealing with pay issues, and now the company has come up with new ways to screw things up.

While the audit was conducted at the insistence of the RTBU after members voted to pursue that course of action, it was the company that couldn’t (and still can’t it seems) manage to pay people right.

Now the company is saying that they won’t provide journals to workers who ask for them, so that individuals can check that the audit has been done right. Are we supposed to just take it on faith that they suddenly worked out how to count?

Let’s be clear, your journal is legally your heavy vehicle work diary. It is also where the D.O. marks down any adjustment to your work. In our opinion, workers are absolutely within their rights to ask for this documentation when the company seeks to meet with you about any overpayments. We’ve already had cases where the audit results do not tally with the work that someone can prove they did.

There’s also the issue of tax and the company is seeking repayment of the gross amount. They are seeking to reclaim what was deducted in tax from the workers themselves who never had that money in their pockets. The RTBU has demanded the company provide a legal basis for this and we’re still waiting.

It remains our firm position that where proven, the company has a right to seek to reclaim overpayments. However, each worker must be given the opportunity to double check the figures and not be out of pocket by having to resubmit an adjusted tax return if they use a 3^rd party.

It’s almost as if no one at KDNB actually planned how to approach this process while the audit was being done