Union, drivers will have truck with law proposal

A RAFT of proposals by the Western Australian Government to help head off the truck driver dispute has been greeted with enthusiasm by both parties in the dispute.

The dispute, between owner-drivers – largely represented by the Transport Workers Union – and the trucking companies – mostly represented by the Transport Forum – is over the rates of pay owner drivers are receiving.

Some minimum safe sustainable rates have already been set out by the TWU, which has given trucking companies an ultimatum to either adopt them or risk having bans placed on the loading and unloading of their trucks.

The Government proposal is to create a working group to address the issue of safe and sustainable owner-driver contract rates in WA.

It was one of the outcomes of a meeting held between the Government, the TWU and the Transport Forum on December 9.

Besides the rates of pay, other proposals from that meeting included:

• Stricter enforcement of the Government’s fatigue management and vehicle accreditation standards;

• Introducing fatigue management to the chain of responsibility to make sure no contract can be entered into that would breach fatigue management standards; and

• Create legislation to allow contract determination in the transport industry, possibly by the WA Industrial Relations Commission.

Both sides in the dispute say a lack of enforcement of accreditation and fatigue management standards is to blame for some of the erosion of driver’s rates because it allows "cowboys" to undercut responsible operators.

There is also agreement to consider contract determination legislation.

TWU secretary Jim McGiveron said the union had enjoyed a large level of success in getting companies to agree to a minimum safe sustainable rate.

Transport Forum CEO Debra Goostrey said the forum had created a computer model that generated the level of costs faced by drivers in various scenarios.

Both sides are also wary of falling foul of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Any attempt to set a minimum rate of pay for owner-drivers could be seen as price fixing.