By Darren Galea
Under new provisions in the 2023 V/Line Operations EA, the RTBU has negotiated with V/Line to trial a 36 hour week with no loss of pay for shunters across Victoria.
While the 36 hour week has been won and implemented in many areas across rail workshops and infrastructure, this trial is the first of its kind for operations grades in the country.
With the trial is in its early stages, members are already loving the work-life benefits delivered without impact on network operations.
Members in the area now work an average of 36 hours a week over 6 days a fortnight instead of 40 hours over 10 days, a pattern designed and chosen by RTBU members.
What is a 36 hour week?
Most members in operations work an average of 38hours a week averaged over 76 hours a fortnight. When working a 36 hour week, members work 2 hours less per week on average for no loss of pay.
Why is the 36 hour week important?
There are two primary reasons the 36 hour week is important:
- It delivers a much better work-life balance for members (through a 9 day fortnight by default with other patterns also possible).
- Members mitigate the impacts of technology and automation which otherwise threaten working hours and number of jobs required to complete required tasks.
This win is aligned with the significant achievement of job security demands and was made possible by securing 5 additional bonus days off in the most recent EA negotiations.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Bryan Evans for his work on introducing the 36 hour week to the operations space. Bryan has worked with the 36 hour week in other parts of the industry and has dedicated significant time through bargaining and negotiations to achieve this outcome.
We will continue to keep members updated on this significant implementation.
