Mike McNess (Branch Secretary) and Mem Suleyman(Branch Assistant Secretary), along with a delegation of workers and industry groups were at Parliament House meeting politicians to share real-life examples of gig economy and supply chain pressure making their jobs harder and more dangerous
Politicians in Canberra met with TWU members from across road transport in Tasmania and Victoria to discuss Safe Rates and the challenges that transport workers face. These politicians were importantly listening to what needed to be done to fix the system.
The TWU has long advocated for Safe Rates because we know that safe rates of pay are key in saving lives. Members of Parliament signed on to the Safe Rates pledge to show their commitment and support of Safe Rates legislation in order to make the transport industry safer for TWU members and our community.
We would like to thank Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Senator Jana Stewart, Senator Raff Ciccone, Senator Catryna Bilyk, Senator Carol Brown, Sam Rae MP, Josh Burns MP, Daniel Mulino MP, Cassandra Fernando MP, Minister for Transport Catherine King, Carina Garland MP, and Lisa Chesters MP for signing our Safe Rates pledge to make our industry safer.
Another key area that was addressed in Canberra was the long overdue industrial relations reform needed for workers across the transport industry, particularly for those in the collapsed airline industry. The TWU has also been calling for the establishment of a Safe and Secure Skies Commission that would set minimum standards and address the outsourcing crisis across aviation, particularly calling for same job, same pay provisions.
These discussions in Canberra were significant – it is evident that the tide is finally turning for working Australians under the new Federal Labor Government, and the TWU will continue to seek genuine improvements for transport workers.