Brief Updates

Tax Cuts

Members should be seeing the benefits of the recent tax cuts in their pay accounts by now. Anything from $20-$40 a week depending on your roster or hours worked.

Chermside

Drivers, there has been an increase in incidents involving groups of youths at the interchange recently, If you see any unruly behaviour make sure you do report it either to NCC or at your depot, give as much info as you can. This will allow them to get back up security measures in place quickly. I am advised that Police are never far away and can be deployed promptly if security guards are not able to contain matters. Your safety and the safety of other drivers depends on quick action.

Casuals up in Arms

We have delivered our petition calling for The Lord Mayor to extend his offer of two extra concessional days to all permanent staff to include our 500 plus casual drivers. Many of whom responded to the call to work through the worst of the pandemic when so many others in the at risk categories were unable to attend work. They helped maintain full services, in fact they also delivered the extra services that kept other essential workers safe whilst travelling on buses.

The petition has now been presented in the chamber and is currently being scrutinised. We hope to be advised when the Lord Mayor intents to respond so we can have members in the public gallery at City Hall.

It appears that our dispute with BCC about casual pay progression is headed for arbitration. This may delay certification of the new EBA but we can no longer tolerate a clause intended to exploit casual bus drivers and limit their career prospects.

"2 extra days for casuals too" Petition gets handed over by Tom Brown to BCC Councillors Jared Cassidy and Steve Griffiths

Full Bench

If BCC agrees this matter could be settled very soon, either by conciliation or arbitration before the full bench of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. We see no reason to drag this out.

Statements

Many long term casuals are put off applying for a traineeship as BCC now demands that they be available 24/7 to do all manner of shifts.

We need casuals or those who were casual for several years or more to be prepared to tell their employment story. To tell why they have had to remain casual instead of pursuing a traineeship. How this has restricted their earning capacity and career development prospects.

Please write your story down and send it to us, we need as many as we can get so that we can present the best to the full bench.

My Story as a casual bus operator

Protect Our Front Line Public Transport Workers

With talk of the rollout of a vaccine to inoculate Australians against COVID-19, we acknowledge the sacrifice of health workers and we want them to have access to the vaccination first.

However, public transport workers cannot be left at the end of the vaccination queue and we need both the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments to commit to providing frontline transport workers early access to the vaccination.

It must be recognised by Governments that public transport workers are frontline workers. We can't afford to have public transport workers left behind.

Public transport workers in Australia deal with millions of Australians getting them to work, school and play. This puts them at a heightened risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19.

For many Governments, public transport workers are an afterthought. However, with this crisis, we need Governments of all levels to prioritise providing free and easy access to the new Covid-19 vaccine before big business and greedy CEOs get their hands on it. Public transport workers keep Australia moving and we can't let them be left at the back of the queue.

#DontForgetPTWorkers
#Covid19
#FrontlineHeros

Sign Petition here

In Unity,

Tom Brown
Secretary, Tram & Bus Division
RAIL TRAM AND BUS UNION (QLD BRANCH)
1/457 Upper Edward Street, Spring Hill 4000
P: (07) 3839 4988 | F: (07) 3832 1278

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