Fresh strikes to disrupt parcel, booze deliveries

Union members at Australia Post subsidiary StarTrack, FedEx and Linfox alcohol distributor BevChain are threatening fresh strike action.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine with transport workers on strike outside Startrack in Minchinbury. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

Union members at Australia Post subsidiary StarTrack, FedEx and Linfox alcohol distributor BevChain are threatening fresh strike action on Thursday, causing further disruption to parcel and ­beverage deliveries.

The Transport Workers Union notified the companies of the planned strikes as it revealed in-principle enterprise agreements had been reached with four companies, including Linfox and Global Express.

Following an agreement with Toll reached last week, the TWU struck a deal with Global Express to also pay an industry-leading 15 per cent superannuation rate in 2021. Linfox has agreed to pay 15 per cent superannuation from 2022.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine attacked the “ideological” position taken by StarTrack and FedEx during months of negotiations, accusing them of “deliberately playing games with workers’ lives”.

Mr Kaine said while the union was reaching deals with transport companies that locked in “strong job security clauses”, fair pay and super increases, StarTrack and FedEx were “exposed as outliers persisting with their attacks on workers and trying to profit off the pandemic”.

“On the one hand, you have a government-owned company (StarTrack) which has deliberately delayed reaching an agreement to swindle workers for as long as possible. On the other, an international union-busting juggernaut (FedEx) which pulled in over $US5bn in net profit last year,” he said.

“Based on performance, these companies should have been the first to provide job security guarantees and fair pay and conditions to reflect workers’ sacrifices and efforts during the pandemic. Instead, they have pushed workers to the brink with no choice but to pursue legal industrial action to break the impasse before the Christmas surge in demand.”

Mr Kaine acknowledged “significant movement on job security protections” at StarTrack, FedEx and BevChain had been made but said the union had ­decided to proceed with the ­action as six months of negoti­ations had not achieved in-­principle agreements.

A StarTrack spokesman said the company was offering 3 per cent annual pay rises, a strong commitment to job security and no reductions in pay or ­conditions.

“The TWU has previously said that this is not a dispute about wages but that it is a dispute about job security,” he said.

“Yet despite StarTrack having made further significant concessions in relation to the TWU’s job security claims in an effort to reach agreement, the TWU continues to threaten further industrial action at a time when the delivery of essential items has never been more important.

“StarTrack continues to bargain in good faith, and we will continue to advocate for and ­support our people and our communities during this difficult and uncertain time.

“StarTrack strongly rejects that job security is under threat.”

Global Express agreed that 60 per cent of work would be given to employees and direct hire owner-drivers ahead of outside hire, increasing to 70 per cent by 2023. The deal includes a 2.5 per cent pay rise backdated to July and 3 per cent from mid-2022.

The TWU said the in-principle agreement with Linfox locked in protections including caps on outsourcing, prioritising employees for all available hours and a path to direct employment for ­labour hire workers.

Under the agreement, 70 per cent of all work in each state will be given to employee drivers and direct hire owner-drivers, and 60 per cent to distribution centre workers.

It also committed Linfox and the union to working together to try to revive a specialist “safe rates” tribunal, a body previously scrapped by the Coalition.