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Be wary of TWU, NatRoad says to ministers

NatRoad makes a fresh appeal to all politicians to vote in favour of abolition of the tribunal

 

The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) has criticised the Transport Workers Union (TWU’s) proposal to defer the Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016 (RSRO) as a last-minute strategy to ensure the viability of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT).

NatRoad has renewed its call to all politicians to back the Coalition government’s planned bill to abolish the tribunal instead of delaying the Order to January 1 next year, as proposed by the TWU.

The union submitted an application to the tribunal yesterday requesting to defer the ‘safe rates’ order until all outstanding issues related to the Order are addressed.

“The TWU’s application to the RSRT is a monumental backflip and is politically motivated, plain and simple because the TWU now realises that those in Canberra as well as the Australian public are seeing the truth about this tribunal,” NatRoad CEO Warren Clark tells Owner//Driver.

The union’s application seeking to delay the Order until 2017 “is a clear admission that the pay rate order they’ve been pushing for is causing immense stress and confusion in the trucking industry and is not connected to improved safety outcomes for our truckies and the general public.

“The TWU has finally seen the light and realised that the new Road Safety Remuneration Order simply does not work.  

“Already jobs have been lost, banks are calling in loans, and businesses are downsizing.

“The new Road Safety Remuneration Order will not lead to safer roads, but has and will continue to put mum and dad businesses at risk.

“Let’s call the Order and tribunal for what it is – it is one big set up to increase the TWU’s membership, by forcing small and medium transport operators out of businesses and into the unionised workforces of the major operators.

“The TWU claims to be concerned about workers, but their actions to date have put people out of work.”

Clark reiterates his suggestion that issues related to road safety should be under the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s radar – a view backed by Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Kate Carnell and industry bodies including the Australian Logistics Council (ALC).

“Safety should be handled by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, not Bill Shorten’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal – and we’ll continue to fight for the end of the tribunal.”

 

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