Allegations of criminality within any industry are without doubt worthy of investigation, but the wholesale government takeover of an effective union and all its branches, based on allegations alone, is a bridge too far.

In a world of fake unions and opportunistic politically motivated outfits, against the consolidated power of corporate capital, it will be workers who suffer the breakdown of representation when union power is diluted.

By using the power of the parliament to circumvent previously legislated provisions to force the CFMEU into administration without the scrutiny of the courts, the Federal Government has set a dangerous precedent for other unions. On a more fundamental level, this intervention is a fierce abrogation of natural justice – denying the accused officials their opportunity to defend the vague allegations that have been aired only through the media.

Beyond the dangerous precedent that rushed legislated administration sets for other unions, a road map to ensure subservience to the will of governments and management alike, this intervention continues to show itself as a fierce abrogation of natural justice.

The construction industry has always been renowned for employers and contractors who are fast and loose with both the law and safety requirements. Connections with organised crime and the employment ex-criminals looking for a fresh start should come as no surprise but should never be placed in the same basket – the construction industry has always been one to support the rehabilitation and equal opportunity of people looking for an honest day’s work.

Employers have a responsibility to screen the appointment and engagement of new contractors and employees, including their conduct throughout ongoing operations. It should be noted that this also includes themselves not participating in criminal behaviour which extends to their alleged willingness to bribe the industry.

No doubt more needs to be done to reign in the cowboy behaviour we see across the industry, something the RTBU fights for daily on rail projects, but taking a narrow lens on the union and not employers is simply an opportunistic attack on a union with a reputation for putting members first.

Across the world there are few jurisdictions with workplace health and safety incident records as low as Australia in the building industry. This is unequivocally due to the powerful presence of the CFMEU on-site, holding employers accountable and fighting for what is right. Without the actions of the CFMEU and their women’s committee, constriction companies would still be refusing to provide toilets for women on site!

Delivering strong wages and conditions for members in a rough and dangerous industry has put a big target on their back and has solidified their outcomes as the envy of many other workers without a strong union by their side.

We all know it takes two to tango. If the CFMEU has been infiltrated by criminals, then the logic holds that construction companies have also been infiltrated by criminals. Despite this, we have not seen action within the wider industry commensurate with the that taken against the union – a hallmark of union bashing efforts by governments looking to diminish the strength of unions and protect corporate profits.

Placed into administration on the back of media reports making allegations against a handful of people that have not yet been tested in the courts or even investigated by any other relevant regulatory bodies, the rest of the union and its members are being made to suffer weakened representation for the next three to five years.

This is an attack on all of us. As a fighting union who won’t kowtow to the wishes of governments and big corporates, we have a duty to stand on the right side of history and challenge the approach taken by the government.

The RTBU will continue to take a strong stand for the justice and representation of workers willing to fight back to get justice at work. We have already done this through representations made by our National Office to the Federal Government and through our attendance at rallies across the country.

A rising tide lifts all boats and working side-by-side with the CFMEU on rail projects has delivered stronger outcomes for all members. Over the years the CFMEU has stood with rail workers time and time again including their attendance marching in numbers with RTBU members at our rallies and stop-work actions in the 2015, 2019 and 2023 enterprise bargaining rounds.

The RTBU won’t back down from a fight against injustice and will always put the interests of hard working members first.

Always check your payslips! If you’re not sure – just ask.

The RTBU works hard to enforce and ensure management pay you correctly. When they get it wrong, we jump in and get you what is yours.

Recently we came across a member at Metro Infrastructure who queried missed payments going back for a period of 10 years. Deeper investigation showed this sum to be worth in excess of $50,000.

We checked the figures and pushed the case, successfully securing a packpay to be paid in full.

As you can imagine, the uncertainty that can come from thinking you have unclaimed missed wages can cause a great deal of grief and anxiety while you seek to navigate the process of recovery. But in this instance, finally locking it in and receiving the funds can take off a huge burden – a backpayment that is truly life-changing for a humble family.

It has been an absolute pleasure to represent our members and to be able to provide them with such successful outcomes.

The RTBU is beyond thrilled and wishes them and their family all the very best.

This story highlights the fact that if you feel something is wrong, please don’t hesitate to bring it to your local Delegate or Organiser. Together we are stronger.

New Changeroom

In other news, we have been able to facilitate a new change room for members working at Gemco Altona.

Members had been pleading with the company for over a year to build a new change room, however they were met with a wall of silence.

The RTBU stepped in and through consultation we are happy to announce that this has now been secured.

This was well overdue and is a welcome addition to the Gemco Altona workshop.

Working people, regardless of who we are and what we do, deserve the dignity to be able to come to work and have a safe, private and comfortable place to get ready before commencement of shift.

It’s safe to say that members are beyond pleased with the new change rooms, and it has created a more harmonious workplace.

The RTBU has a long track record acting to support social justice, international solidarity, and peace activity in Australia and with transport workers in many countries.

Across generations, our members campaigned against conscription in WWI, the Vietnam War, nuclear weapons, South African apartheid, and for the independence for Timor Leste.

As unionists we have advocated for justice, fairness and decent living conditions not just in Australia but also given our support to other workers around the world. We recognise that war unfairly targets the lives and dignity of the working class – from civilians too often caught in the crossfire, to soldiers enrolled from our ranks, working families suffer.

In most recent times, shockwaves of the barbaric war between Israel and Hamas has seen the deaths of over 38,000 people since October last year.

Many more find themselves in a dire and catastrophic humanitarian situation with Gaza’s entire population being subjected to displacement and a lack of food, drinking water and basic medical supplies imposed by military means controlling the availability of aid.

The Rail Divisions Committees of Management recently recognised the significant number of workers killed in Gaza through attacks on schools, hospitals, ambulances, a wide range of infrastructure and UN sites including journalists, nurses, doctors, teachers, public servants and essential aid workers.

Our solidarity is with all who have been impacted by this war and the longstanding occupation and conflict in the region affecting not only Gaza, Israel and the West Bank, but also our communities here in Australia.

Noting the January 26 interim ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel is plausibly committing the crime of genocide in Gaza. We applaud the leadership, support and work being done by unions, activists and politicians in advocating for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel.

Our union recognises the outstanding and continuous campaign of rallies and actions around the world by all sections of the community.

Peace and justice are union business and we call for:

• An immediate, and permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of all Israeli military forces and end to the blockade of Gaza;
• The immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, and all Palestinian prisoners taken hostage by Israel;
• The unimpeded and urgent flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and freedom of movement of people to enter and leave Gaza;
• An end to all illegal occupation;
• Australia to recognise an independent and democratic Palestinian state, within secure and sovereign borders. This is essential if the Palestinian and Israeli peoples are to live together in peace and harmony;
• Australia immediately cease all weapons, military, intelligence contributions to the war; and
• Australian industry super funds ensure that the $1.3 trillion worth of assets belonging to ordinary working Australians are not invested in businesses that are enabling or profiting from war.

We recognise that these are all the prerequisite measures for a just peace in this terrible conflict.

I started working in the railways in June 2007.  

Back then, Metro was Connex, John Howard was Prime Minister, and Geelong football club was on track to win the grand final. 

The hot topic of conversation for the RTBU back then was safety. Now, 17 years later, while improvements have been won, the focus remains.  

Over the years, the RTBU has continued to fight tirelessly to bring in more safety controls and initiatives to ensure your workplace is a safe place to be.  

The RTBU has campaigned for protections to be enshrined to form a new standard across the country, and have continued to advocate for Members’ safety, particularly those on the frontline. 

The RTBU’s Station Organisers are currently focusing on:  

• Opposing Members working at locations one-up 
• Ensuring station staff are not directed to perform Authorised Officer or VicPol Duties 
• Opposing Members at one-up locations being directed to do station checks or red button checks during night network 
• Opposing Members being directed to utilise public toilets outside during night network shifts 

When Members are directed to perform duties that they feel are unsafe, we encourage them to speak to their local HSR or Delegate, and to raise the issues with the RTBU directly. 

Despite the endless meetings, disputes and campaigns, it is disappointing to see management still requesting unsafe work practices from our Members.  

We know that when members work frontline roles alone at night, they are placed in increased dangers. Best practice should always be two-up at high risk times and locations.  

Physical assaults and verbal threats remain persistently high and more needs to be done to support members seeking transfer to safer locations. 

The RTBU has pushed for more consultation on these matters, and we are pleased to see that numerous regular forums have now been established and are being taken seriously.   

With improvements being slowly announced, members know that all of these steps have only happened because of the consistent and unwavering campaigning of the RTBU and its Members, Delegates and Representatives. These include increased AO headcount and presence, extra CCTV, de-escalation strategies, Trauma leave, etc.  

Members know there is still further progress to be made and we won’t back down from that pursuit. 

We also remind members that you are not required to put yourself in danger, police the area, deal with aggressive or threatening behavior, or staff barriers in unsafe circumstances. 

The RTBU is committed to ensuring the safety of ALL members and will never stop fighting for safer conditions. All stations should have enough staff to ensure that every member is safe all the time.