Joe Dennis
Organiser

The PTV call centre has unfortunately always been a difficult one to deal with. For those of you that don’t know, PTV outsource the PTV call centre to a company called Probe who currently employ 260 people within the PTV call centre.

While Probe has recently swallowed the former call centre, nothing else has changed with morale continuing to be at an all time low.

Staff are struggling to get basic things for their workplace. They are arguing to get anti-bacterial wipes for their shared workplaces (hot desking), they are denied access to union websites, denied access to their union organiser, they don’t have a union notice board, they receive eight minutes a day for toilet breaks, they are paid minimum wage, and are subjected to abusive phone calls on an hourly basis. 

When an abusive customer calls, the PTV call centre staff are advised to give three (polite) warnings before terminating the call. If the call is terminated earlier than this they are called into a meeting to explain why.

The RTBU, Australian Services Union (ASU) and National Union of Workers (NUW) are working together to address the abusive calls with management, not just for the PTV  call centre, but for all the other call centres Probe have that are covered by other unions, such as VicRoads and Kmart.

A “zero tolerance” approach to abusive phone calls needs to be the way forward and the procedures that staff have to abide by during these calls need to be changed.

On a more positive note, in the past week I have met with management at Probe and have had some wins for our members there:

1. Monthly meetings with delegates and management will soon be established. Delegates will be released to attend the meetings monthly, whereas these meetings were previously done in their own time at a coffee shop without a manager present to discuss the outstanding issues.
2. A union board. Well, half a noticeboard, but it’s a start. 
3. Union organiser now has access to floor to meet with staff. This was taken from us a short while ago.
4. Management have also informed me that a computer will be placed in the general meal area to access union websites during meal breaks. 

These wins might seem small to some, but to the staff at Probe they are a major win.

In the coming weeks the safety campaign will be rolled out and monthly meetings will begin. This is a great way forward where staff can get direct access to management and discuss workplace issues and ways to improve their workplace.

I am so proud of our Delegates for the work and support I have received from them. Being a Delegate in a workplace such as Probe is not easy and I commend them all for their hard work. These breakthroughs couldn’t have been made without the push from you all and I thank you for all that you do. Keep up the fight, because if you don’t fight, you lose.

 

 

 

Luba Grigorovitch
Branch Secretary

As many Members are already aware, in 2019 we face our major bargaining round including Enterprise Agreements (EA) for the major operators V/Line, Metro Trains and Yarra Trams.

Some months ago, the RTBU sent out a survey to all members covered by the Metro Trains, V/Line and Yarra Trams agreements. The aim of these EA surveys being to find out what is important to YOU!

We received thousands of responses and it was great that members got involved! From these responses, I am confident that we can create a strong log of claims and be fully prepared for the upcoming EA round.

The data from the surveys is currently being collated and the top three priorities identified for Metro were:

• Job security;
• Leave entitlements; and
• Flexible working arrangements.

Some of the reoccurring themes in the survey for Metro have been understaffing and rostering issues with some Metro staff having emailed the union office to identify overtime for part-timers as a problem with the current EA.

The top three priorities identified for V/Line were:

• Job security;
• Workplace safety / OHS; and
• Leave entitlements. 

Anecdotally, staff at V/Line are telling us that they would like to see an entitlement for all retiring staff of a free travel pass after 20 years of service. Currently this is only available to staff who commenced employment before 29 August 1999.

Over and over members reiterated the need to retain conditions in the upcoming negotiations. A staple for the RTBU that we will fight for.

Following from this, Delegate meetings for all Rail Division Delegates for the five EAs up for negotiation have been arranged at the following times and days:

V/Line Rail Operations EA: Tuesday 4 December 2018 – 11am – 2pm

V/Line Infrastructure EA: Tuesday 11 December 2018 – 10am – 1pm

Metro Trains Rail Operations EA: Tuesday 27 November 2018 – 11am – 2pm

Metro Trains Infrastructure EA: Monday 10 December 2018 – 10am – 1pm

Metro Trains Rollingstock EA: Monday 10 December 2018 – 2pm  – 5pm

Delegates will receive a formal invitation to these meetings shortly. If you are a Delegate, please make sure you put this date in your diary as it is imperative that you are there to represent the members in your workplace.

Coming into the major EA bargaining round, we are prepared and ready for the fight to not only retain the conditions that were fought for and won before us, but also achieve a fair wage increase.

This round of EA negotiations is one that will set the industry standard for the future EAs to come which is why we must remain united and strong during the negotiating process.

I look forward to working with you all to achieve the best outcomes for members and set the industry standard for Rail in Victoria.

If you did not receive your survey, or you have something that you wish to add to the log of claims for your EA, please contact the Union Office on 8630 9100 or email us at rtbu@rtbuvic.com.au

Remember, this is YOUR EA – you need to be involved in this.

Joe Dennis 
Organiser

I have been working in the rail industry for almost 20 years as an Authorised Officer. During this time I have always been an active union member. I became a Delegate over 15 years ago as I wanted to help members and fight to receive the best outcome possible.

Over the years I have been involved in EA negotiations, myki introduction,  several risk assessments,  increasing AO numbers, roster changes and night network introduction.

I have now started full time as an Organiser of the Administrative, Supervisory, Technical and Professional division of the RTBU. I look forward to getting out in the workplace and meeting as many members as I can in the coming weeks.

I look forward to protecting members conditions that we have all fought so hard to get in the place, and working towards improvement of those conditions as well. Continuing to improve you workplace and conditions is at the top of my list, but I will need the support of the members in order to get the best possible outcomes in the future.

I look forward to working with you all and please feel free to email me on joe.dennis@rtbuvic.com.au or call me on 0403 863 869, even just for a quick catch up.

Luba Grigorovitch 
Branch Secretary

As most of you would know, for many years now there has been discussion around the possibility of PSOs travelling on trains.

Over the years, there has been a ‘tug-of-war” between the companies, the Government and the Union to keep PSOs off our trains. When PSOs were first introduced on the public transport network, we fought to ensure that they would not travel on trains.

However, in late August, the RTBU was informed that the plan was for PSOs to travel on trains as of Sunday 2 September 2018. We therefore sprung into full gear with ongoing negotiations happening between the RTBU, VICPOL, DOJ and PTV in relation to the RTBU allowing PSOs to travel on trains.

Although the first duty of a PSO is to man all stations from 6pm to last train, an agreement has now been reached which will see excess PSOs able to travel on trains from Sunday 2 September. This change has come about thanks to the job security provided via negotiations that took place over the past weeks.

AO Delegates from across the network have been involved in the entire process. With many AO Delegates spending hours at the Union Office ironing out the nuts and bolts of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Through the assistance of our hardworking Delegates, the RTBU was able to sign off on a memorandum of understanding between the RTBU, Victoria Police, The Police Association and Public Transport Victoria that the members of the RTBU were happy with.

Through these negotiations, we also received confirmation from PTV that the establishment numbers for AOs will be maintained for the life of the operators’ contracts with the State. This means that the current number of 620 AOs across V/Line, Metro, PTV, Yarra Trams and Ventura will be maintained.

Following a Delegates meeting that took place last week, the RTBU has confirmed with VICPOL that Members look forward to working even more collaboratively with the PSOs from 2 September.

Further, we have secured a commitment from VICPOL that PSOs will be instructed to more actively assist all Rail workers with any issues or incidents that may occur on the network, rather than referring them to 000.

Below is the motion which was passed at the Delegates meeting:

That this meeting of Authorised Officer (AO) Delegates commends the work done by the RTBU, VICPOL, DOJ and PTV.

Job Security and ensuring AOs play an ongoing role in the future of the Public Transport network is paramount.

• The guarantee of establishment numbers.
• The proposed amendment to the regulations.
• The risk assessment that took place.
• and, the good faith shown by the Government with the guarantee to employ additional AOs for the future, demonstrates to us that AOs are valued by both the Government and PTV.

Having seen these documents, we instruct the Branch Secretary to sign the proposed Memorandum of Understanding, which ultimately sets out a clear demarcation of duties along with the boundaries for work between Authorised Officers and Transit Protective Service Officers (PSO).

Because of the above negotiations we are satisfied that there is no threat to the job security of AOs.

Further we look forward to working collaboratively with PSOs from Sunday 2 September.

We look forward to these negotiations creating an even stronger working relationship with PSOs and we call on the RTBU, TPA, VICPOL and PTV to arrange a workshop with AOs and PSOs to ensure we share ideas and also have the best working relationship possible for the betterment of the travelling public. 

Passed Unanimously

 

Meetings at all AO depots have taken place over the last few weeks to ensure all Members are aware of this change.

Without the strength and unity of RTBU members, this great win would not have been possible. I thank each and everyone one of you who were involved in the negotiations for this, our unity shone through in a time where we needed to stand together to get the best deal possible for RTBU members.

As you would be aware, over the last few months there has been significant debate regarding the Federal Government’s new online system for recording personal medical histories, called My Health Records. This system will allow individual users to authorise various health professionals to access and share their medical records.

The RTBU has significant concerns over the rollout of the My Health Record project.

In theory, this is an important health initiative. But the failure to adequately safeguard private information means that workers could be vulnerable to pressure from employers to reveal personal details that have nothing to do with safety at work.

As you know, RTBU members working in the public transport industry are subject to strict medical standards to ensure your own safety and the safety of the wider community. Many members have to frequently submit to medical testing to ensure that you are fit to perform your role in safety critical industries.

For that reason we are advising members to consider opting out of My Health Records until privacy concerns are fully addressed.

As far as the RTBU is concerned, there is no justification for employers to have access to personal health information that does not directly relate to workplace safety and under the My Health Records system, this is a risk that rings true.