Expect delivery delays as StarTrack workers go on strike
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For the second time in a month, thousands of StarTrack workers went on strike to force their employers back to negotiations over a pay and conditions dispute.
The workers began a 24-hour strike on Wednesday at midnight so deliveries for the week were certainly affected.
Angry transport delivery workers walked off the job, causing delays in parcel deliveries. Photo by Cecilia Connell via ABC News.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) national secretary, Michael Kaine, spoke to the media at 8 AM on Thursday, saying that the employees were protesting the company’s move to push out work to “cheaper contracted labour”.
“This is a direct threat to these workers and the financial security of themselves and their families,” he stated.
“Of course, what they want is the commitment in writing from this company in their agreements that protect that job security – That’s not too much to ask.”
Recently, major transport and logistic companies across Australia also staged multiple protests. This included the international parcel giant FedEx and alcoholic beverage logistics company BevChain.
“Six major transport operators around the country in the last 10 days have settled good strong job security agreements, that’s not good enough,” Mr Kaine added.
The TWU national secretary also addressed the federal government, calling out that they were not taking action in dealing with the rise of online shopping, which was “pulling down industry-wide standards”.
“These workers have had to take the difficult decision to withdraw their labour,” he said.
“They’re legally entitled to do that, but it is difficult to do, and they’ve had to do it simply to bring StarTrack back to the table. They’ve abandoned negotiations, that’s bewildering, these workers are ready to get a good fair deal like six other transport companies have around this country.”
Workers were hit by a “double blow” of increasing workload and outsourcing jobs, said Michael Kaine. Photo by Cecilia Connell via ABC News.
StarTrack, a subsidiary of Australia Post, argued against the claims, stating that the company continued to bargain in “good faith” and that the TWU was “moving the goalposts”.
“At first they claimed it was about job security, and with a largely agreed approach there, now they claim it’s about the pay – this is despite repeated public statements from TWU officials that this is not a wages dispute,” spokesperson Michelle Skehan said.
“StarTrack has some of the best conditions in the industry, and last year we paid all frontline team members a 1 per cent thank-you bonus when none of our competitors did.”
“StarTrack’s strong offer includes a market-leading guaranteed pay rise of 3 per cent each year, secured and compounding for three years.”
Essential goods continued to be delivered throughout the strike, but some parcel delays were experienced.
The workers began a 24-hour strike on Wednesday at midnight so deliveries for the week were certainly affected.
Angry transport delivery workers walked off the job, causing delays in parcel deliveries. Photo by Cecilia Connell via ABC News.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) national secretary, Michael Kaine, spoke to the media at 8 AM on Thursday, saying that the employees were protesting the company’s move to push out work to “cheaper contracted labour”.
“This is a direct threat to these workers and the financial security of themselves and their families,” he stated.
“Of course, what they want is the commitment in writing from this company in their agreements that protect that job security – That’s not too much to ask.”
Recently, major transport and logistic companies across Australia also staged multiple protests. This included the international parcel giant FedEx and alcoholic beverage logistics company BevChain.
“Six major transport operators around the country in the last 10 days have settled good strong job security agreements, that’s not good enough,” Mr Kaine added.
The TWU national secretary also addressed the federal government, calling out that they were not taking action in dealing with the rise of online shopping, which was “pulling down industry-wide standards”.
“These workers have had to take the difficult decision to withdraw their labour,” he said.
“They’re legally entitled to do that, but it is difficult to do, and they’ve had to do it simply to bring StarTrack back to the table. They’ve abandoned negotiations, that’s bewildering, these workers are ready to get a good fair deal like six other transport companies have around this country.”
Workers were hit by a “double blow” of increasing workload and outsourcing jobs, said Michael Kaine. Photo by Cecilia Connell via ABC News.
StarTrack, a subsidiary of Australia Post, argued against the claims, stating that the company continued to bargain in “good faith” and that the TWU was “moving the goalposts”.
“At first they claimed it was about job security, and with a largely agreed approach there, now they claim it’s about the pay – this is despite repeated public statements from TWU officials that this is not a wages dispute,” spokesperson Michelle Skehan said.
“StarTrack has some of the best conditions in the industry, and last year we paid all frontline team members a 1 per cent thank-you bonus when none of our competitors did.”
“StarTrack’s strong offer includes a market-leading guaranteed pay rise of 3 per cent each year, secured and compounding for three years.”
Essential goods continued to be delivered throughout the strike, but some parcel delays were experienced.
