The union is planning protests across all major cities this Sunday
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is planning to hold rallies across Australia on Sunday to protest against the abolition of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) and its ‘safe rates’ order.
It says road transport workers and families of those killed in truck crashes will join the union to highlight the high death toll in the trucking industry with rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane.
Convoys are planned to cross the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, and a ‘go-slow’ movement along the South Eastern Freeway in Adelaide.
“With the highest fatality rate of any industry, drivers want to be safe at work and they don’t want to risk the lives of others,” TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon says.
“The pressure on the industry by wealthy retailers, manufacturers, oil companies and banks has got to stop.
“These clients use transport services but don’t want to pay for their goods to be delivered safely.
“Drivers are being pushed to speed, drive long hours, skip mandatory rest breaks and skip maintenance on their vehicles.
“This is so wealthy clients at the top can make massive profits by cutting transport costs.
“The community is sick and tired of paying with their lives for corporate revenues and chief executive paychecks.”
The rallies will follow other protests against the termination of the Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016 (RSRO).
Earlier this week, the TWU faced industry backlash for a recent advertisement that links the removal of RSRT with the death of children on local roads.
Nearly two months after the ‘safe rates’ RSRO was abolished, the industry continues to remain divided on this subject.
Industry bodies such as the Australian Transport Association (ATA) have made repeated calls to political parties to not reinstate the tribunal and the minimum rates order after the July elections.
The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) had suggested setting up of a mandatory telematics system to improve road safety in place of the reestablishment of the RSRT.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) office is currently holding industry consultations to determine the impact of the order on the small business sector.