All Change

By Roger Jowett

Ever since rail consultants from the US set in motion the break-up of Australian railways nearly 15 years ago, constant sell-offs and restructuring have kept the union focus on safety, jobs and new agreements.

Australian railways were based around 6 public sector vertically systems. At the beginning of the 1990s, the impact of structural reforms urged on by private sector consultants were being felt through large scale redundancies brought on by overdue technical modernisations. This dovetailed with neo-liberal policies on curtailing the role of government, translate4d into closure of some subsidised rail transport services.

National Competition Policy, privatisation, break-up of the vertically integrated systems, rail disasters such as that at Glenbrook also focussed attention on the rail system, with more reports and more pressure to separate maintenance, passenger and freight. Anti-union actions were a part of the overall government and private sector strategies.

Private sector interest in the rail system increased as the importance of transport services in the "new economy".

The Rail Tram and Bus Union has focussed significant resources onto rail safety and gaining collective agreements where the privatisation has undermined union rights. The RTBU continues to have an impact on safety outcomes and winning positive collective agreements and maintaining high rates of union membership, with over 85% of rail workers unionised.

(Transport International. Issue 17/4.2004/October-December 2004)