Recent weeks have seen your Union liaising with the Australian Electoral Commission to prepare for union elections. Now just around the corner, it is important that we ensure that ballots are fair, follow due process and that every eligible member has a chance to vote.
They say that history is decided by those who show up, those who march and those who vote. This is your union and having your voice cast at the ballot box is more important than ever. Talk to your workmates and ensure you vote for a strong & united union.
While the groundwork has been done, the hard work is just beginning. Recent years of technological disruption have affected the transport workers globally. These technologies and changes have now reached our shores.
Months and years ahead are jam-packed with big ticket items that are critical and we must get them right to secure present and future rail jobs. With the Metro Tunnel opening, unprecedented project work and line upgrades, CBTC, brand new rollingstock being designed and manufactured and other significant technological changes that will require attentive and detailed negotiations to keep members protected commencing with the 2023 major bargaining round.
We have been on the front foot working with sister unions across the world which are all facing similar changes and sharing their experiences of the attacks and ideas of global multinational employers. We have commissioned research into technologies and advocated for the policy settings for the negotiations that lie ahead.
We have won the argument on the need to properly upgrade, expand and fund our rail system. While significant work lies ahead for the next round of franchise agreements and locking detail on increased staffing levels, your union is in a strong position for the future.
But the work is not done yet and we can’t do it without the continued input and efforts from rank & file members.
Without members on the job, being active and taking an interest in campaigns and changes, the fight for better workplaces is only made more difficult.
It is irrefutably the strength of members raising issues on the job and asking the important questions of management that we can put up the fight necessary to ensure the future is on our terms.
For this reason, I take this opportunity to remind members that this is your union and quality leadership is worth voting for.
Vik Sharma
Victorian Branch Secretary
