Members of the Transport Workers Union will walk off the job this week in a move set to disrupt fuel deliveries to major service stations.
Fuel delivery drivers are planning to hit the brakes on Tuesday and Thursday this week as they protest wages and working conditions.
Members of the Transport Workers Union employed by K&S Fuels will walk off the job on the 21st and 23rd of January in a move set to disrupt fuel deliveries across the state, impacting major service stations like AMPOL and Costco.
While there’s only one Costco service station in WA, the state is home to more than 200 AMPOL locations, including 88 AMPOL fuel up points in Perth’s Metropolitan Area.
Speaking to the planned walk off, TWU state secretary Tim Dawson said the union’s members were being forced to make ends meet on wages that don’t reflect the critical nature of their work.
“Our members ensure fuel keeps flowing to the pumps, powering businesses and households across the state,” Mr Dawson said.
“K&S Fuels has the means to do better, but instead, they’re choosing to squeeze their workforce while raking in significant profits.
"These workers are the backbone of our fuel supply chain. They deserve to be respected and paid fairly for their essential contribution.”
According to a statement from the TWU, members employed by K&S Fuels want a controversial yard rate system abolished, claiming the current structure financially penalises workers for taking public holidays, long service and sick leave.
As well as changes to the yard rate, members are calling for the company to establish a roadmap for workers to receive 15 per cent of their salary in superannuation payments, and for their wages to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The TWU claims more than 40,000 transport workers on union agreements already earn 15 per cent superannuation, and that K&S Fuels drivers are among the lowest-paid fuel delivery drivers in the industry.
“Despite the company’s profit before tax of $41.3 million, its wage offer fails to address the mounting financial pressures faced by workers,” the TWU said on Monday.
K&S Fuels, which forms part of the ASX-listed K&S Corporation, is set to release its half-year financials late next month.
In November, it told investors to expect an underlying half-year profit before tax between $23 and $24 million – down just slightly from the comparable half’s $24.4 million result.
Although K&S shares have traded slightly down in recent weeks, the company’s stock is up just shy of 30 per cent over the last 12 months.
