Luba Grigorovitch
Branch Secretary

As most of you would know, the RTBU was in the Federal Court on 14, 15 and 16 October, fighting for our members’ right to take protected industrial action.

After three full days of hearing, the union’s Federal Court case against Metro has not yet concluded and we will be required back in Court on 6 November 2019.

All we want is a fair EBA but instead we have spent many hours preparing for this case which has so far involved:

• Hours with lawyers obtaining advice, drafting affidavits and preparing for cross-examination.
• Everyone in the office had to deal with legal “discovery” which required us to go through phones, emails and other documents to hand over to Metro’s lawyers.
• I was in the witness box for hours upon hours being cross-examined by Metro’s QC.

All of this could have been avoided if Metro had dropped off on their outrageous attacks on our wages and conditions and agreed to a fair EBA.

We expect a decision will take some time, but we hope it’s the right one so that we can put this legal stuff behind us and get back to bargaining on an even keel.

Our fight over this isn’t just about wages and conditions. Although that’s important, our fight is for the future of our rail network, and the future of our city. Our fight is Melbourne’s fight.

Melbourne needs a rail system that’s safe, that’s reliable, and meets the needs of a growing population. It needs a rail system that’s properly staffed, and properly maintained.

Melbourne needs you, and you need to be properly paid, you need security of employment, you need decent working conditions.

Following the court case, the RTBU organised a rally on the steps of Flinders Street Station to band together in solidarity and mount the pressure on Metro to come back to the bargaining table.

Flinders Street Station was surrounded by a sea of flags and unionists for our rally. I thank each and every one of you who came down and showed your support.

I know we’ve all been here before, stuck in an EBA battle against Metro, feeling like we’re banging our head against a wall. It’s frustrating, and we’re all sick and tired of going through the same arguments.

But we can’t give up, and we won’t give up.

Our union has been fighting for rail workers in this town since 1862. That’s 157 years of rail workers standing side by side, staring down the bosses, digging in for their rights.

157 years of staunch, determined, trade unionists backing each other up.

157 years of solidarity.

Throughout this fight, we have received solidarity messages and support from many other unions, state-wide, nationally and even internationally.

The industrial laws are broken, and they need to change, we must continue to fight and stand together against this greedy multi-national corporation!

Thank you to all of the members who sent back their forms to update their details. 

The winners of the 2019 Update Your Details Competition are: 

1st Prize: Ali Halabi – Nu Group

2nd Prize: Garry Williams – Metro Trains

3rd Prize: Alice Masters – Metro Trains

Congratulations! 

190920 Metro Operations EA Notice – Update and Mass Meeting

Joe Dennis
Organiser

Recently I made the trip to Mildura and Swan Hill Stations to meet with and update our members of the progress on the V/Line Enterprise Agreement (EA). Members were happy to meet with me and discuss issues around the EA and it was great to visit our members in the further regional areas of Victoria.  

In the coming months, Organisers will be out and about to update all members on the progress of the negotiations. From Mildura to Bairnsdale, Maryborough and Albury, we will attempt to visit all locations and speak to as many members as possible. Obviously with the nature of shift work, it will be impossible to catch every member, so if there are any V/Line members that have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me, one of the other Organisers, or the RTBU office on 8630 9100.

Members in the timetables and rostering area of Metro Trains have recently had an issue regarding backpay for unpaid overtime. These discussions have been ongoing for some time and we have made progress with getting some of the members their backpay. We are still in discussions with Metro to get the remaining members the backpay that they are entitled to, and we will not stop until everyone has been paid what they are owed.  

Probe (PTV Call Centre) still have not come to the table to begin negotiations for their EA which expired in April this year. Members at Probe are getting increasingly frustrated at the company for not recognising their hard work.

The members at the PTV call centre are grossly underpaid for the work they do and are constantly on the receiving end of verbal abuse. The RTBU will continue to push Probe to come to the table and begin bargaining in order to get the members the pay and conditions they deserve.

Box Hill station staff have been trialling a seat at the barriers for over 2 years now and recently Metro trains supplied an “Aero seat” to also trial. The best way to describe the new “Aero seat” is a floating bar.

This seat does not take any weight off the members feet and is not suitable for what the members are after. Health and safety experts from the Victorian Trades Hall recently attended Box Hill station to assess the seating situation, and as a result we were able to gain clarity in pushing the issue to management. Members are asking Metro managers for a meeting to discuss the best way forward.

In the recent weeks I have also been travelling to various Metro stations to give members an update on the EA progress. Members have been welcoming and are relieved to hear that the negotiations are now progressing quite quickly. Following the latest offer, we have arranged further meetings to update members as we continue to gear up the campaign for a fair deal.

As always, if anyone has any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0403 863 869.