The federal government has hosted a Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) road transport industry delegation that has involved the first applications submitted to the Fair Work Commission.
Last year, the federal government gave the commission the power to set enforceable minimum standards for employee-like workers in the gig economy and road transport industries for matters such as pay rates, cost recovery and consultation.
With the road transport industry uniting to support the reforms, with the delegation descending on Parliament House this week to submit the applications that will help lift standards for 600,000 workers.
The applications currently before the Fair Work Commission seek a range of new standards, including fairer payment terms, parcel delivery minimum standards and rights for gig workers.
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From February 26, the federal government will also make it a requirement for truckies and gig workers to be given a fair process before their contracts are terminated through the new Digital Labour Platform Deactivation Code and the Road Transport Industry Termination Code.
Both digital and trucking businesses will still be able to terminate a workers’ contract or deactivate a worker for a valid reason relating to their capacity or conduct, but the unfair deactivation and termination protections will stop the undercutting of workers’ pay, conditions and safety.
“These important reforms were another step in the federal government’s changes to ensure Australian workers have secure jobs and better pay,” federal employment and workplace relations Murray Watt says.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine says the industry is “right on the precipice” of life-saving change in the transport industry.
“At long last, through this legislation, we get to save some lives and deal with the horrific unchecked dominance of gig behemoths and wealthy retailers that have driven transport into the ground. Friday is the line in the sand when we will start to rebuild,” he says.
“With new rights soon set to take effect and consultation beginning for first applications, in the very near future we’ll see world-first rights for gig workers and deadly pressures eased on truck drivers and operators.
“There is no time to waste getting standards in place in road transport, and the entire industry has been working around the clock to get to this moment of seeing a world-class system implemented to save lives and businesses.”
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