The AMWU has recently completed negotiations in 18 collective agreements across Queensland Rail (QR), securing solid outcomes for nearly 1000 workers.

However, the outcomes have been overshadowed by the State Government’s announcement that parts of QR may be privatised.

“The key thing in these negotiations was that the senior QR delegates did the negotiations themselves,” AMWU Assistant State Secretary Rohan Webb explained.

“Thanks to their great work, the workers picked up an average of an 18 per cent pay increase over two years across those agreements.
“We also maintained a condition of no forced redundancies and got some great improvements in other conditions.

“That was a very positive experience for the rank and file members, delegates, the union and even non-members within the QR workplace.”
Mr Webb said QR was a good example of union growth and how it led to better conditions for workers.
“We’re now up to 989 members at QR, across all its divisions,” he said.

“We’ve strengthened our delegate structures through the latest campaign and put good strategies in place for future negotiations.
The negotiations started in August last year and outcomes were achieved through the last three months, with votes held recently.

“However, the job security we thought we’d achieved has had the rug pulled out from under it with the State Government’s privatisation announcement,” Mr Webb said.

Bernie Misztal, AMWU Site Convenor in Rockhampton, worked for five months to help negotiate the agreements statewide. For the latter period of negotiations, he focussed on the Racks (Rolling Stock and Components Service) agreement because that’s where the bulk of AMWU members are across QR’s  Rockhampton, Redbank, Ipswich and Townsville facilities.

“Our primary aim in this negotiation process was to achieve job security for our members,” Mr Misztal said.
“Initially, we thought we had that – only to find out about the Bligh Government’s privatisation plans.

“We also wanted an outcome for our members where we could achieve better pay and conditions over two years.

“We achieved that and had one of the better outcomes we’ve had in a long time, but without the underlying job security it’s not worth much.

“It’s really ripped the guts out of the blokes here and disheartened them and we’ll be protesting against it pretty hard.”

Mr Misztal, who says angry QR workers have nicknamed their local members ‘Sell-Out Schwarten’ and ‘Hock-it Hoolihan’, said the railway has always been the lifeblood of Rockhampton.

“We stand to lose that if privatisation goes ahead,” he said.
 “No matter where you are working in regional Queensland - ports, rail or forestry - this will have an effect on us all.

“With any privatisation, new buyers can come in and rip the hearts out of these companies and communities.
“It’ll all fall apart and need tax dollars to bail it out, like the disaster that is the Tasmanian rail network.
“We don’t want to see that here, so our most important objective now it so protest against the privatisation plans.”