V/Line workers set to strike again as enterprise agreement tension drags

The V/Line network is set to come to a halt again as tension over enterprise agreement bargaining continues.

Geelong commuters will again be disrupted by a V/Line strike. Picture: Alan Barber

V/Line workers are set to walk off the job again as division over enterprise agreement bargaining drags on.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has notified V/Line of its intention to take industrial action on Thursday, January 25.

Operations staff including conductors, train controllers, station and customer service staff and authorised officers will walk off the job for four hours between 3am and 7am, bringing the network to a halt.

Bargaining since June, the RTBU says V/Line is yet to address key concerns that have been raised throughout the negotiations to date.

The union said this decision to further escalate the campaign came after the RTBU negotiating team met again with V/Line on Wednesday 10 January, with no progress made on key issues.

Victorian Rail, Tram and Bus Union branch secretary Vik Sharma Supplied: RTBU

Workers also walked off the job as part of early morning industrial action on December 13.

RTBU branch secretary Vik Sharma said the union would continue to meet with V/Line and negotiate in good faith as members would prefer to avoid industrial action if their concerns were addressed.

“V/Line needs to respect the frontline workers and stop treating them like numbers on a spreadsheet,” he said.

“We make no apologies in our fight to secure decent conditions for our members.”

V/Line chief executive Matt Carrick said: “We have been continuing to negotiate in good faith and have made progress towards reaching an agreement.”

“We strongly encourage the union to work collaboratively with us to reach a fair and reasonable agreement,” he said.

As a public sector agency, V/Line must comply with the Victorian Government Wages Policy and Enterprise Bargaining Framework.

V/Line will in coming days work to finalise a plan for replacement coaches.

Originally published as V/Line workers set to strike again as enterprise agreement tension drags