The Australian Trucking Association has fired back at the Transport Workers’ Union claims that safety isn’t its top priority.
A suggestion from TWU national secretary Michael Kaine that the ATA is disinterested in improving safety and sustainability standards in the industry is something the association vehemently denies.
ATA chief executive Ben Maguire says Kaine’s comments are disappointing given the two parties meet frequently on the issue.
“There are many examples in the past six months where the ATA and TWU have worked together,” he begins.
“We met with them twice in October and had the goodwill to invite them to speak at our November council meeting. Prior to Christmas, I also attended the ALP National Conference and was eagerly invited by Senator Glenn Sterle to join the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal working group,” Maguire explains.
“The ATA is committed to improving safety and professionalism in the trucking industry and has achieved many important results over the years,” he adds.
As an example, a side underrun protection technical advisory procedure developed by the ATA is currently being consulted with by the Industry Technical Council, which is an aluminium or fibreglass protection system aiming to reduce the risk of vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians becoming caught in the spaces between wheel sets of heavy truck and trailer wheels.
Maguire suggests that following November’s council meeting, follow-up contact from the ATA to the TWU has been ignored.
“He hasn’t bothered responding, because the TWU clearly doesn’t care about good process or the details of policy development,” Maguire continues.
“At our council meeting, Michael Kaine admitted that he was deliberately ‘stirring the pot’ – his words – because there was no other way of achieving the results he wants. He said he would keep doing it,” he adds.
“The ATA is committed to improving safety and professionalism in the trucking industry and has achieved many important results over the years. It’s time for the TWU to stop the silly games and make a genuine attempt to work together as we are so willing to do,” Maguire concludes.
The TWU is a member of the ATA, and in August last year also took issue with the Master Registered Industry Code of Practice, suggesting “the voluntary code is not equipped to address the fundamental, root cause of why the transport industry is in crisis.
“It is not capable of removing the economic incentives that apply supply chain and contractual pressures in the first place,” the TWU said at the time about the systematic over-tight scheduling and unpaid work within the transport and logistics sector.
“We have endemic underpayment of drivers, chronically fatigued drivers who are pushed to drive long hours and speed, faulty trucks on our roads, and transport operators barely keeping their heads above water,” Kaine said.
“What we need is legally enforceable change to tackle these problems,” he added.
TWU has been approached for comment.
