Workers' Rights Trampled On In Qr's Rush To Float

Workers' Rights Trampled on in QR's Rush to Float

Rail unions will today lodge an application in the Federal Court following Queensland Rail's failure to consult with its workers in the rush to float the company on the stock exchange.

The ASU, RTBU, AFULE, ETU and AMWU will seek up to $660,000 in penalties following QR's breach of 20 provisions contained in enterprise bargaining agreements between the unions and Queensland Rail.

The EB agreements contain comprehensive "Consultation" clauses which state there must be genuine consultation with workers when any significant changes to the workplace are proposed. Part of the relevant EB clause states that "the process of consulation will include:

Genuine opportunity for employees and, at the employee's election, their representatives to affect the outcome".

QCU General Secretary Ron Monaghan said all workers received was a letter of offer to transfer to one of three new QR companies with a deadline of less then four weeks to decide their working future.

"This whole thing smacks of a gung-ho management, hell-bent on trampling on workers' rights, doing the bidding of a government which is desperate to rush through its privatisation agenda.

"QR has simply ignored binding workplace agreements that say workers must have a genuine opportunity to change the outcome of negotiations there was no genuine consulation, either with workers or their unions.

"QR is not above the law in this matter it cannot simply ignore existing workplace agreements just because the government has a privatisation agenda it's hell-bent on implementing.

"I'm calling on the Government to pull this overzealous management into line. If this is the result of the State Government decision to float QR in a matter of months instead of the three to five years originally envisaged, then the Government has to pull back too. QR workers deserve better when their working future is at stake.

"We are demanding that Queensland Rail stop this process and properly consult with QR workers and their unions and this is what our court action aims to do."

Unions will lodge the application in the Federal Court today. A media conference will be held at 12:15pm on the steps of the Federal Court, 119 North Quay.



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SOURCE: Queensland Council of Unions