Transport workers are calling on the federal government to be included in talks to improve conditions amid supply chain impacts from natural disasters, war in Ukraine and the pandemic.
Unions said worker voices have so far been excluded from the federal government’s response to the flood crisis facing Queensland and NSW and the subsequent impacts on supplies getting to people in need.
Frank Black – a truck driver for the past 35 years – said transport workers are doing their best to help the community in challenging circumstances.
Recent flooding meant he had to complete a trip from Sydney to Brisbane via a back route through New England, a difficult road taking longer and using more fuel.
“On those back roads you can’t just pull off anywhere because the sides of the roads are so saturated you don’t want to risk getting bogged down,” he told AAP.
“Rest stops are pretty woeful at the best of times, but on back roads it’s essentially just a clearing where everyone pulls in if there’s space,” he said.
Increasing fuel prices are impacting contractors like Black who is often left out-of-pocket by clients not wanting to pay more for a job.
He said more regulation would help, but instead of assisting transport workers to do their jobs the government often makes it more difficult.
“No one can stop the rain, we understand that it’s no one’s fault, but try to make our lives easier by listening to what transport workers are going through,” he said.
A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the government was working with its international partners, jurisdictions and the industry to keep freight moving.
“Supply chain disruptions are being driven by a combination of factors including higher demand for imported goods and terminal closures due to COVID-19 outbreaks,” the spokesperson said.
In February, the Retail Supply Chain Alliance – made up of three unions – proposed a set of supply chain safety principles.
These included free rapid tests for transport workers, a government commitment to regulating the gig economy in the transport industry and establishing a standing supply chain committee.
Meanwhile, the government is in its third year of delivering a national freight and supply chain strategy which aims to lift freight performance in Australia.
One of the strategy’s target areas is to improve supply chain efficiency by – among other goals – establishing a fit-for-purpose regulatory environment and supporting a skilled and adaptable workforce into the future.
But Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said Australia’s supply chains are consistently vulnerable to external shocks like natural disasters, the pandemic and overseas conflicts.
“Workers need good, secure conditions, free rapid tests to prepare for the next variant and a say over policy changes that directly affect their work and their safety,” he said.
with AAP
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