Melbourne鈥檚 unique 250 kilometre-long tram network is one of the city鈥檚 many tourist attractions. Not only is it an important form of transportation, it also provides secure employment to around 1000 people.
Yarra Trams, the privatised company responsible for the network across the CBD and inner suburbs, has been fighting the Rail, Tram and Bus Union鈥檚 (RTBU) push to negotiate a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) to strengthen pay and conditions.
The union has been fighting for a new EBA for nearly eight months. The old agreement expired in 2015.
The RTBU was pushing for a reasonable 24% pay increase over four years as against Yarra Trams鈥 offer which was half of that.
However, it was also pushing to erode many of the union鈥檚 hard-won gains, especially the cap on part-time work which it wants to increase from 4% to 15% (although it initially wanted that figure to be 35%). This would lead to insecure work for more than a third of the work force.
Keolis Downer-owned Yarra Trams doubled its profits to $18 million in 2018, but still claimed that such measures are needed for 鈥済reater flexibility鈥.
Tram workers rejected two of Yarra Trams鈥 EBA offers by a margin of 94%, and in January and February organised several four-hour strikes. During that time, the public transport minister Melissa Horne claimed it was not her place 鈥渢o get involved鈥 in the dispute, although she did petition the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to terminate the union鈥檚 proposed industrial action scheduled for during the Melbourne Grand Prix between March 12鈥15.
But on February 25, the RTBU and Victorian government to withdraw the proposed industrial action over the Grand Prix in return for the government and Yarra Trams withdrawing its application to terminate or suspend the industrial action in the FWC.
Then on February 28, the RTBU announced on its that its delegates and members had unanimously endorsed an in-principle agreement with Yarra Trams which includes a 14% wage increase over the life of the agreement, with back pay, along with strengthened conditions and allowances.
Meanwhile, the Victorian RTBU branch is also working for a better EBA for its train drivers in Metro Trains and the regional network V/Line.
The Fair Work Act 2009 makes it difficult for workers to organise for their rights.聽 Individual strikes as part of protected industrial action, like those being organised by the RTBU, are the only type permissible under the industrial relations system.
[Leo Crnogorcevic is a university student and member of the Socialist Alliance.]