Thousands of Toll transport workers are preparing to strike for 24 hours on Friday, with the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) calling for the federal government to urgently implement the regulation of transport supply chains.
The demand comes from a Senate report that recommends the Federal Government “establishes an independent body” to “set universal, binding standards” in road transport.
TWU explained that regulation of this sort would eliminate gig economy models of exploitation at the likes of AmazonFlex and Uber.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine welcomed the recommendations, adding that for an independent body to succeed, it must be genuinely industry-led and dedicated to addressing the economic, social and contracting pressures that make transport Australia’s deadliest industry.
“This comprehensive report is emphatic in its portrayal of the transport industry and the regulatory requirements to fix deep-rooted, deadly pressures in transport supply chains,” Kaine said.
“The Prime Minister only needs to look at the thousands of transport workers forced to pursue strikes over an assault on good, safe jobs across Australia’s major operators to see that implementing the recommendations of the Senate report is a national priority,” he said.
Toll workers are appealing for their jobs to be protected at Toll as they prepare to strike for 24 hours on Friday.
Workers are fighting back against Toll’s proposed workplace agreement which threatens existing jobs by creating a legacy workforce and an underclass of newly engaged workers on worse conditions.
These include term contracts for new employees; incentives for the company to contract work out to lower paid workers; the global right to contract to outside companies up to 50% of all Toll work in each state; and no commitment to pay direct-hire owner drivers labour rates commensurate to employees.
According to TWU, it is no coincidence that the attack on jobs, which is consistent across five major transport operators facing strike action, corresponds with the rise of AmazonFlex and alarm bells raised about a further ‘Uberisation’ of the freight industry.
“Federal Government inaction has empowered the likes of Amazon and Uber to introduce extreme exploitation into our economy which is bringing the transport industry to its knees,” Kaine said.
“While Scott Morrison has been asleep at the wheel, transport workers have had no choice but to take the fight into their own hands by bravely taking industrial action to fight for their futures,” he said.
He further stressed that workers need the support of their government.
“Adopting Senate recommendations to establish an independent body with the power to set minimum standards will stop the likes of AmazonFlex in its tracks and ensure transport supply chains are safe, efficient and viable,” he said.
“Since a road safety tribunal was abolished by the Morrison Government in 2016, with nothing put in its place, more than 200 truck drivers and almost 1000 people have been killed in truck crashes. Deaths will rise exponentially if reliable transport jobs are outsourced to the lowest bidder. The Federal Government must put out the fire before it becomes an inferno,” he concluded.
TWU has also assured that the strike action has never and will never disrupt medical supplies or vaccines. The industry body confirmed this in writing to Toll on 16th July and is taking measures to ensure vaccine supplies will not be disrupted on Friday.
Source: TWU