Special Bulletin – Newcastle EA

It was great to see a turnout of around 180 people join us for the Stop Work action in Newcastle on Friday. Drivers, who’ve been fed up with the insufficient offer from Keolis Downer, took the buses back to the depots for four hours to show we’re not giving up the fight to earn a decent living wage.

Watch some of the action here

Read more about it here (paywall)

Keolis Downer tried to sell their latest inadequate Enterprise Agreement to members by telling them they could supplement their income by taking on an extra Sunday shift, instead of offering to pay them what they deserve.

These operators claim they can only pay what the government gives them. If that is the case, the RTBU is calling on Minister David Elliott to have these contracts readjusted to ensure our members receive a living wage. It’s the state government’s privatisation mess to begin with!

We have gone back to KD to ask for a 7 percent increase over two years, and are waiting for their response.

The union will be seeking direction from its members and cannot rule out further action should a negotiated solution in the future not be reached.