Greens call for fair re-employment of former CTCC drivers and a transparent transport transition

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion urging NSW Labor to prioritise job security and community stability following the liquidation of Community Transport Central Coast and its takeover by Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Community Transport.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1)That this House notes that:

Community Transport Central Coast (CTCC) has been in negotiations with its staff and the Transport Workers' Union (TWU) for a replacement Enterprise Agreement for several months in the lead up to CTCC's sudden dissolution into insolvency,
on Thursday 19 September 2024, TWU representatives were informed that CTCC was entering voluntary liquidation, partly because of $1.8 million in debts while also publicly alleging that the negotiations with the union were causing financial hardship, despite the Enterprise Agreement remaining unfinalised and there having been no threat of industrial action, and
Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Community Transport (HKCT) soon made it known they were willing to take over the work to continue providing the service, signing contracts to take over the former CTCC work, late on Thursday 26 September 2024.

(2) That this House further notes that:

HKCT has been selectively contacting workers formerly employed by CTCC, since as early as Wednesday 25 September 2024, to offer them employment while potentially targeting union delegates and activists by not offering them roles,
the former CEO of CTCC, when announcing CTCC's plan to go into involuntary liquidation, stated that the financial strain of ongoing Enterprise Agreement negotiations was the cause of the company's collapse, and it was clear from comments made by management of CTCC during and immediately following the voluntary liquidation that they were unhappy and had formed unfavourable views about certain workers who were exercising their workplace rights, and
in their correspondence with the TWU, HKCT it was confirmed that workers will have to reapply for their roles through the public application process and that "only those with a positive reference from a manager of their immediate past employer will be considered".

(3) That this House express its concern that:

following the sudden collapse of CTCC, 70 workers have had their jobs disrupted with no guarantee of reinstatement by the new operator despite constant urging from the TWU,
any reliance by HKCT on the views of former CTCC management about staff would result in negative assumptions being formed about workers due to their union activity, and that any decisions taken on that basis would be in breach of the Fair Work Act 2009, and construable as union busting tactics,
for the affected workers, uncertainty remains as to how many driving jobs are available and what employment category they fit into, whether there are fewer jobs available than ex-CTCC drivers who have applied, whether any formal job offers have been made, and what industrial instrument will apply to the drivers, and
the community will see the drivers they know and trust and who have been providing this community service for years replaced, when the people of the Central Coast deserve stability and security while the service undergoes its change of ownership.

(4) That this House calls on the Minister for Transport, Minister for Roads, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads and the Minister for the Central Coast to:

direct Transport for NSW to impose conditions on the operators of HKCT that will see them give first preference of employment to ex-CTCC drivers, and
require that any attempt to change levels of service to the community undergo a rigorous and public consultation process before agreed to.

24 October 2024

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Greens call for fair re-employment of former CTCC drivers and a transparent transport transition

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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