I would like to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of John McLean, who was the TWU NSW State Secretary from 1989 until 1993. His work was outstanding, and played a real and significant part in ensuring that our union stands strongly together, as it continues to do today. John unfortunately passed away in August this year. We extend our thoughts, prayers and best wishes to his family during this difficult time, and thank him for his hard work to improve the lives of transport workers across the state.
This year’s Delegate’s Conference highlighted the hard work each and every single delegate is doing in their yards, and we got to see a number of new and returning faces. We want to acknowledge the hard work of delegates; we know that you have gone back to your yards and shared our message: We will continue to fight for our members.
Each and every single one of our members is supported by our delegates and union officials, and we know that is making the difference. Over the past year so far, we have seen the shift towards looking after transport workers, and the baseline understanding of the vital and deadly nature of our industry.
Since the abolition of the road safety watchdog, the RSRT, we have seen over 300 truckies killed on our roads. Until we see the reform we have been fighting for, these deaths will continue.
We will not give up.
Earlier this month, the legislation for these reforms were tabled, alongside legislation to improve the rights of gig workers. This is just the beginning.
We must continue to stand strong together, and never give up. We finally have a government who have been giving us a seat at the table, and we
need to take this opportunity to save lives and bring regulation back to our industry.
We have been fighting for reform, not only in parliament, but also at each of our yards. Every day we push forward the urgent need for industry reform through our EBAs, through our wins and through our membership.
The years of solidarity through our membership has meant we have been able to push our voices forward, and share our message with governments, companies and key industry stakeholders. Even in the face of companies like Cleanaway and Qantas who seem to dedicate all of their time to undermining the conditions of our members, we stand strong.
Each and every single one of our members represents the strength and the unity which you show every day. Continue the fight, continue having those conversations with your workmates, and continue to build power in your yard so that we can win.
Richard Olsen,
TWU Secretary