OPINION: The transport industry is more united than ever in its bid to obtain a level and safer playing field
Road transport workers around the country are closer than ever to safer roads and a more prosperous industry – and it’s thanks to an industry that has never been more united.
In September I joined representatives from right around road transport for an industry roundtable ahead of the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit. It is a testament to the industry that there was unanimous agreement on what we need to make road transport more viable, fair, safe and sustainable.
We emerged from the roundtable with a set of principles to reform our industry, backed by stakeholders from every corner of the industry including the Transport Workers Union (TWU), the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO), NatRoad, the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA), state transport associations, transport operators like Toll, Linfox, ACFS and FBT Transwest, and even supply chain clients Woolworths and Coles, and gig giants Uber and DoorDash.
These groups have not always been allies, but the ‘wild west’ of the gig economy spreading rapidly through transport has only heightened our need to stand shoulder to shoulder. Even the gig companies themselves have joined calls for a level playing field, feeling the threat of being undercut out of business in a lawless society like the gig economy is today.
In what is Australia’s deadliest industry, this set of industry principles form a powerful blueprint for how we can achieve life-saving reform in road transport, and they are ground-breaking.
The consensus between the representatives at the roundtable was so absolute that Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has announced the Federal Government’s intention to empower the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to set fair standards for the entire transport industry.
Under this proposal, the FWC would be tasked with making transport a more sustainable industry for all.
Government commitment
Unanimity and accord across a whole industry does not come from nowhere. One of the driving forces of this reform was Senator Glenn Sterle’s two-year inquiry into road transport, which heard from dozens of representatives and earned trust from all corners of the industry. Thanks to the tireless efforts of these advocates, the commitments from the Federal Government are built around the findings of Senator Sterle’s inquiry and give life to a number of its key recommendations.
This is a significant breakthrough to lift standards in the industry and protect all participants from the existential crisis brought by the gig tsunami.
We must band together and do everything we possibly can to back the Federal Government’s commitment. The stakes are too high for inaction.
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For owner-drivers it would mean greater economic strength and fair payment terms, including for cost recovery, increasingly crucial with sky-rocketing fuel prices.
It would mean access to real dispute resolution, so drivers’ voices can be heard, no matter their label.
It would mean transport workers get a seat at the table when decisions are being made about the industry and be able to provide advice and recommendations.
But the most crucial element is that it will apply to all transport workers, including employees and gig workers. Having minimum standards for all workers means that the industry as a whole can prosper from a safe and fair starting point.
It would mean all workers have the regulatory backing they need to make a decent living. We would have a system of fair competition that allows all participants to thrive.
Owner-driver exploitation
With companies like AmazonFlex destroying good jobs through its exploitative app-style model, this commitment from the Federal Government could not come at a more urgent time.
We’ve already seen FedEx fall to the Amazon Effect, with its proposal to bring in owner-drivers on shocking piece rates on a take it or leave it basis. If FedEx does it, soon others would be forced to do the same to stay competitive.
If passed through parliament, this would close the loophole that companies like Amazon have been able to take advantage of for far too long.
The benefits of this system for owner-drivers are numerous. Supply chain accountability would increase the size of the pie so drivers aren’t fighting for scraps. Cost recovery would be easier but so too would negotiating take-home pay on top.
We have worked together for years for a solution that will create a fairer and safer industry. Only a few months ago, hundreds of employee and owner truck drivers, couriers, rideshare and food delivery workers joined nationwide convoys alongside industry representatives in support of reform.
That moment – real, industry-led, positive change – is on the horizon. It’s a reminder of what we can achieve when we stand together – we need to keep up the strength and unity to get this done.
We’re not at the finish line yet. The industry has never been more united, but we need to continue to work together over the next weeks and months to make this a reality.
We know that if passed, this will save trucking businesses, jobs and lives. Our tenacity and unity as an industry has got us this far, and the prospect of a more prosperous industry is something every single person in road transport must get behind to make it happen.
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*MICHAEL KAINE is the national secretary of the Transport Workers Union of Australia. Contact Michael at: NSW Transport Workers Union, Transport House, 188-390 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. twu@twu.com.au