21 May 2010

ACTION management get their goanna out

| johnboy
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In the wake of the soiled bus driver’s call to arms and a fare collection strike the ABC informs us of the ACTION management response:

Mr Roncon says drivers will be given letters today outlining the consequences of taking part in the industrial action.

“Drivers who participate by not collecting fares will risk losing up to 67 per cent of their wages for each shift that they take such industrial action,” he said.

Be interesting to see how they respond to that.

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The article in The Canberra Crimes is very far from the truth. $50,000 for an entry level trainee driver is nowhere correct and $75,000 is not common at all for any other driver, part or full time. As I’ve said elsewhere, if someone does achieve this wage it’s through a serious amount of hours put in and certainly deserves it.
I have a problem with people who wouldn’t look at a job twice but think it’s their right to say how much someone who would do it should be earning. It’s not that easy a job and not that many people these days are interested. From what I’ve heard, the latest recruitment drives have had pretty poor showings. They’d have no one if they were paying $12-$15 per hour, and rightly so.

Clown Killer10:59 am 24 May 10

Apologies for crap formatting.

Clown Killer10:59 am 24 May 10

No, Clown Killer just expects people to work for $12-$15 per hour in a job that he wouldn’t do himself for $30
I can very vaguely remember earning 30-bucks an hour in the early 90s – it wasn’t driving a bus though.
You’re absolutely right. I wouldn’t drive a bus for $30 an hour. But the comparison is meaningless. The pay you get in any job is a reflection on how hard it is to do, how hard it is to find people with the skills required (or to train them), and the costs of delivering the products associated with the job.

Now it seems that the real figures (inconveniently for the union made public in the Canberra Crimes) suggest that an entry level trainee with 18 days tuition behind the wheel can earn around $50,000 a year driving a bus in Canberra (around the same as an entry level doctor, registered nurse or fire-fighter according to The Crimes). Once you’ve got the wherewithal to drive the articulated buses your pay goes up again and it would appear that $75,000 a year isn’t too uncommon for ACTION bus drivers ‘worth a squirt of piss’.

rhino said :

BigDave said :

No, Clown Killer just expects people to work for $12-$15 per hour in a job that he wouldn’t do himself for $30.

What’s wrong with that in principle? I don’t want to personally work at mcdonalds for $8 per hour, but my younger cousin does. I wouldn’t even work there for $24 per hour, three times his pay.

and to think at maccas your probably on your feet all day rushing around, working with dangerous equipment, taking crap from the public, cleaning up the mess and having a duty of care serving food to the public.

BigDave said :

No, Clown Killer just expects people to work for $12-$15 per hour in a job that he wouldn’t do himself for $30.

What’s wrong with that in principle? I don’t want to personally work at mcdonalds for $8 per hour, but my younger cousin does. I wouldn’t even work there for $24 per hour, three times his pay.

No, Clown Killer just expects people to work for $12-$15 per hour in a job that he wouldn’t do himself for $30.

Clown Killer6:06 pm 22 May 10

Oh, my mistake, you live for the day you can sign an AWA that guts your entitlements

AWAs were a bloody fantastic in the right circumstances – not so good in some and pretty grim in others.

And for the record: no I don’t live for the day when I can screw my people for tougher work-place conditions.

moneypenny26123:16 pm 22 May 10

Ian said :

It would be an amazing coincidence if all the ticket machines died next week, preventing them being used. Would not surprise me if the drivers tried this. I wonder what the provisions in the legislation are for sabotaging the employer’s property during industrial action?

There is probably nothing in the Fair Work Act, but there are industrial torts at common law – basically conspiracy to cause economic damage. The legal principles are pretty employer friendly given that the cause of action originates from the early days of unionised labour.

So ACTION could potentially sue in tort if they can prove that one or more of their employees probably sabotaged the machines deliberately, and it is not otherwise protected industrial action.

bd84 said :

I would think that if the industrial action was protected (i.e. gone through the proper processes) than ACTION would unable to retaliate in any way. I would also think that if the drivers show up and perform their normal routes, then ACTION would be obliged to pay the drivers for the full amount. I don’t think there’s any agreement out there that allows an employer do dock an employees pay if they don’t collect the correct amount of money. But I could be wrong..

If the drivers really wanted to be sneaky and get around management’s demands to collect money, the ticket machines break easily, all it would take is a lot of damaged tickets getting stuck in the readers..

This is from the Fairwork Australia site:

Protected industrial action

An employer is prohibited from making payment to an employee for the total duration that the employee is engaged in protected industrial action.

However, if the industrial action is an overtime ban, employers can only withhold payment when the employer requires or requests an employee to work overtime, and the refusal is in contravention of the employee’s obligations under a contract of employment, agreement or other industrial instrument.

Employees (and employee organisations) must not ask for or accept such payment. However, where the industrial action is taken in the form of a partial work ban, proportional payment rules apply. The employer may give the employees a partial work ban notice that contains details of the proportion of the reduction in payment. Alternatively, the employer may give a notice that no payment will be made to employees during the partial work ban. The notice must further provide that the employer will not accept any work from the employee until they resume normal duties.

So if the drivers don’t collect fares, their employer is entitled to reduce their pay proportionately. Presumably the thing about 67% is the notice referred to in the quote from FWA above.

It would be an amazing coincidence if all the ticket machines died next week, preventing them being used. Would not surprise me if the drivers tried this. I wonder what the provisions in the legislation are for sabotaging the employer’s property during industrial action?

Clown Killer said :

Sounds completely reasonable. This sort of childish bullsh!t on the part of the union shouldn’t go un-punished.

I find it interesting that the bus drivers have such a grandiose sense of entitlement that they feel that they can make the community pick up the cost of their industrial action.

See if you agree when your bosss (Zed?) trys to cut your pay by 25%. Oh, my mistake, you live for the day you can sign an AWA that guts your entitlements.

I would think that if the industrial action was protected (i.e. gone through the proper processes) than ACTION would unable to retaliate in any way. I would also think that if the drivers show up and perform their normal routes, then ACTION would be obliged to pay the drivers for the full amount. I don’t think there’s any agreement out there that allows an employer do dock an employees pay if they don’t collect the correct amount of money. But I could be wrong..

If the drivers really wanted to be sneaky and get around management’s demands to collect money, the ticket machines break easily, all it would take is a lot of damaged tickets getting stuck in the readers..

They will do what most unions do in the face of these threats. Sh*t themselves and back off at a million miles an hour.

Mind you isn’t sh*tting yourself the root of the problem?

moneypenny26127:07 pm 21 May 10

It is my understanding that workers taking industrial action by implementing work bans can only have their pay docked in a way that is proportionate – that is, the banned activity is assessed against the whole job, and pay docked accordingly.

Is ACTION seriously trying to suggest that drivers spend 67% of their shift collecting fares? It’s a wonder the drivers have time to drive anywhere.

There’s either a lot of phantom passengers or there are lots of drivers driving unsafely because they are collecting fares while driving.

Clown Killer5:01 pm 21 May 10

You raise an interesting point J Dawg. Those who would use busses will make a windfall – and fair enough. But the rest of the community does bear a cost already – being the diference between the revenue from fares and the cost of actually providing the service – now some third party will make the decision to pass on the full cost to the community simply to progress their own selfish agenda.

Clown Killer said :

I find it interesting that the bus drivers have such a grandiose sense of entitlement that they feel that they can make the community pick up the cost of their industrial action.

Ironically, by not charing fares they are saving those from the community that catch buses money. But it is the community which will cover the shortfall caused from lost fare revenue.

Ahhhhh the hillarity of the ACTION bus network!

The community might be picking up the tab but if the drivers lose pay then the only winners here are the people who use the buses and last time i had to catch a bus (2008) the majority of the passengers looked like they could use the help.
Its an ongoing debate, ACTION will never work in Canberra.

67% of not much is very little. I cant see this affecting anything

So whats better. Not taking fares or not turning up to work

anyway – they are being offered ‘payrise’ lower then cpi if that report is correct, so screw the tightass govt if you ask me and bus drivers go forth and dont collect fairs you bad asses

Will the thought of losing pay cause drivers to soil themselves?

Fair enough! Don’t do all of your job = don’t get all of your pay.

I’m sure though that 67% is an ambit claim by management that will be negotiated down to something more realistic.

Clown Killer10:43 am 21 May 10

Sounds completely reasonable. This sort of childish bullsh!t on the part of the union shouldn’t go un-punished.

I find it interesting that the bus drivers have such a grandiose sense of entitlement that they feel that they can make the community pick up the cost of their industrial action.

What? Drivers are paid on a commission basis now?

Seems Mr. Roncon is encouraging drivers to strike.

The union will be applying to Fair Work Australia to have the pay deduction reduced.

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