We Fight Hard Despite Grim Outlook

Every day your TWU officials are dealing with redundancies, sackings, reductions in work hours, companies asking for wage freezes and/or the trade off of hard won workings conditions.

Of course your Union remains totally committed to protecting your pay rates and working conditions.

And in every round of EBA negotiations we fight tenaciously for the best possible outcome and resist company calls for trade-offs.

We acknowledge that the annual wage increments we are winning are less than those achieved during the boom but they, in most cases, keep pace with inflation.

Private sector wages have grown at just 2.1%, the slowest rate since the Australian Bureau of Statistics started the wage price index survey in 1998.

Inflation is running at 1.8% according to the ABS.

As you can see from reports in this Wheel, the TWU is still managing to achieve pay rises higher than the above rates – in most cases.

However, there are genuine basket cases in the industry who have been hit hard by the downturn and are asking their employees to choose job security ahead of pay rises.

In any case, there is no doubt that without the TWU at the negotiating table – the outcomes would be far worse.

Pay rates in TWU negotiated agreements are approximately 35% above industry minimum rates awards.

It has never been more important for transport workers to be members of the TWU.

Without the TWU and united workplaces pay rates would tumble down – that’s a FACT – No BULLSH-T!

Our legal division has been ramped up significantly to deal with a flood of unfairly sacked members seeking our help.

If we can’t save their jobs through negotiation with employers we fight for justice in the Fair Work Courts.

The TWU is always there in the tough times for transport workers and their families.

And we will be there when the good times roll around again as they invariably do.

In the meantime our strategy is to PROTECT WHAT WE HAVE WON DURING THE BOOM and improve what we can during the downturn.

Click here for the original article on the TWU WA Branch website.