Treasurer Rob Lucas lashes train driver union for seeking free car washes as part of a new wage deal, as industrial action looms
A union wants train drivers to be given free car washes and a travelling allowance to get to Dry Creek in a new wage deal – but Treasurer Rob Lucas says they’re taking taxpayers for a ride.
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A union representing train drivers has asked for their car washes to be paid for and a travel time allowance to get to Dry Creek, as part of a pay pitch Treasurer Rob Lucas rejects as “total lunacy”.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union expects to learn from the Fair Work Commission on Monday whether it will be allowed to take industrial action amid rapidly rising tensions over new enterprise negotiations.
It comes as a breakaway group of about 100 train drivers and related workers also engage their own bargaining team to deal with the State Government, and are offering to accept a 2 per cent annual increase over the next four years.
The RTBU is seeking 4 per cent in each of those years, but said it was willing to trade pay for other conditions, including better COVID-19 protections.
Mr Lucas who has lashed the RTBU as “tone deaf” to the plight of other workers losing their jobs and pay during the coronavirus recession, said it was “now abundantly clear that the union bosses are trying to take us all for a ride with their ludicrous log of claims”.
The Adelaide Operation Control Centre moved to Dry Creek two years ago, 13km from the CBD centre.
Mr Lucas said the union argued the car wash claim was justified as vehicles were in an “industrial environment”, and a travel allowance was fair due to being “disadvantaged” by the extra trip out to the centre.
“Anyone who has been to Dry Creek knows it’s hardly the Simpson Desert,” he said.
“It’s time rail union bosses appreciated the significant financial challenges facing SA taxpayers due to COVID-19 and negotiate in good faith.”
Other negotiating points include allowing drivers who are shifted from duties after failing medical clearances to keep the same pay, and double time and a half for an entire shift whenever some overtime is incurred on that day.
RTBU SA and NT secretary Darren Phillips said Mr Lucas was engaged in an insulting attack on frontline workers who had been among the most at risk during the pandemic, and it was critical to lock in hard-earned conditions ahead of privatisation.
“There are certain items that come up during the life of an enterprise agreement that you try to resolve,” he said.
“If you can’t, you can take them to the table for negotiations. That’s what happened.”
Mr Phillips also rejected as “just not right and an insult to train drivers” Mr Lucas’s claim that the best-paid workers would receive $161,000 a year plus overtime under the annual 4 per cent pay pitch.