V/Line workers vote to strike

V/LINE operations staff overwhelmingly voted in favour of taking industrial action, which will bring trains between Melbourne and Geelong to a standstill later this month.

Staff including conductors, train controllers, stations and customer service staff, authorised officers, will walk off the job for four hours between 3am and 7am on December 13, bringing the network to a halt.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Secretary, Vik Sharma said just over 90 per cent of workers had endorsed protected industrial action.

“An overwhelming majority of members, around 93% of those who voted, have voted in favour of industrial action,” Mr Sharma said.

“In the current climate of automation, major changes and an uncertain economy, members are fighting for what all workers across Victoria deserve – job security and decent conditions.

Although the strike action concludes at 7am, its effects are expected to impact operations throughout the day.

V/Line Chief Executive Officer Matt Carrick urged the union to reconsider industrial action.

“We have been negotiating with employee representatives and the union in good faith and urge the union to reconsider industrial action which could potentially disrupt tens of thousands of passengers,” Mr Carrick said.

The union said in a statement that the outcome of the ballot shows employees don’t feel their voices are being listened to by management.

“The RTBU has been bargaining with V/Line for a replacement agreement since June,” explained Mr Sharma, “V/Line are aware of the changes required to support the key staff at the front lines of the surge in rail patronage, but it is evident that they are not listening,” he said.

“We are focused on minimising the impacts of industrial action on the travelling public and encourage commuters to plan their working weeks accordingly where possible.”

“We make no apologies in our fight to secure decent conditions for our members.”

“We need to ensure the workforce is supported to deliver critical services for regional and rural commuters,” he said.

The bargaining period between V/Line and employee representatives over the V/Line Rail Operations and Administrative Employees Agreement 2019 and the V/Line Asset Management Agreement 2019 commenced in June and August respectively.

The public sector agency says they have been negotiating in good faith.

“We’ll continue to work with the union to deliver excellent employment conditions for our workforce and a better service for our passengers – in the event of industrial action, we will work hard to minimise the impacts on passengers.” Mr Carrick said.