Rail union slams Auckland rail operator’s “profit before people” attitude
The union representing Auckland train crews is slamming the company running Auckland commuter trains, the French-owned Transdev, for excluding workers from a critical safety audit on the basis its health and safety system is “commercially sensitive.”
“Transdev wrote to us yesterday saying that worker representatives would be stopped from fully participating in an safety audit being done by the regulator, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), as the company’s health and safety management system has so-called commercially sensitive information that only certain staff can have access to,” said Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) General Secretary Wayne Butson.
“While we are being offered an opportunity to meet the auditor, worker representatives are being excluded from the full audit. This flies in the face of the letter and spirit of the new health and safety legislation and our agreement with Transdev around worker representation by marginalising the people who actually drive and staff the trains.”
“More importantly, to exclude workers on the grounds that health and safety systems are ‘commercially sensitive’ strongly suggests a ‘profit before people’ attitude amongst Transdev’s management. That’s totally unacceptable given they are charged with safely transporting thousands of Aucklanders around the city every day,” said Butson.
“Experience overseas demonstrates that such a mind-set greatly increases the risk of serious incidents.”
“We have never experienced such a view being so openly expressed by a rail operator in New Zealand until now. We have written to Transdev expressing our concern and lodged a formal complaint with NZTA. If Auckland’s rail network is to be as safe possible then we need to nip the ‘profit before people’ attitude in the bud and get the skilled staff who actually work on that network to fully participate in the safety audit,” said Butson.
Rail and Maritime Transport Union!
A classic case of why we should never privatise our “essential services” today as this case says it all!!!!!
Well done Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) we stand with you 1000% and we want NZ First regional rail policy (RON’s) “Rails of National Importance” to be implemented now as the provincial rail services for Freight and passenger levels are now wound down for road services when we now have dangerous gridlocked roads and no rail use ton reduce the massive increased trucks on our roads.
For instance the HB Expressway we have independently verified that this truck road (HB Expresway) now has between 2300 to 2500 trucks every day running on it.!!!
National Government (2014) “NZ Freight demands study” say’s that the daily truck flow figure will double by 2025 and treble by 2040 and increase by 2.5% times today’s figures even with rail operating and our rail has closed to Gisborne!!!!!!
A new Government must restore our regional rail system again.
NZ First have the best rail policy that others must use.
http://www.nzfirst.org.nz/transport
We now unable to cope with dangerous roads and residential truck noise vibration & air and tyre dust pollution as it is a “public health hazard.
RAILWAYS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE
New Zealand First will ensure that none of New Zealand’s railway lines and other strategic railways infrastructure will be privatised.
New Zealand First’s vision includes passenger train services along all rail routes between the main centres, with connecting coach services linking outlying areas or running services between centres which don’t have a railway line.
New Zealand First will develop a programme of railways of national importance (RONI) to ensure that better use of our railway network and services is achieved, with improvements and extensions where there is opportunity to significantly reduce dependence on the roading network, especially for heavy freight and bulk freight services, but also where passenger services can be redeveloped to attract sufficient demand over time.
New Zealand First will not require the whole cost of development of new railway tracks and services, and of electric reticulation, to be met by revenue generated by railway service charges. These will be met by a combination of Land Transport Fund funding and crown grants.
The rail routes listed in the principal policy document would form the basis of the core transport network.
What, the Rainbow Warrior strike is on again? This time against OUR rail service. Thanks bunch National, privatise the management to the lowest bidder with the lowest vision for Kiwis.
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