Food and fuel supplies could be affected this coming weekend as thousands of truck drivers intend to strike over pay and conditions at a major employer, the transport union says. The dispute over a new enterprise agreement with logistics giant Toll Group will climax with a 24 hour strike on Friday involving as many as 7000 truckers.
In a bid to compete with global giants like Amazon Flex, the Transport Workers’ Union says Toll is aiming to drive down costs “by scrapping overtime entitlements and engaging outside drivers”. But Toll claims it has the best EBA in the industry and says it will continue to do so once current negotiations conclude.
“One thing we and the union do agree on, our employees deserve a pay rise,” it said in a statement. “We’ve put a generous offer on the table and are committed to further discussion.”
In response Toll Group said it was ‘disappointed the TWU is threatening industrial action in the middle of a global pandemic’. “As one of the country’s biggest transport companies, we are well used to managing disruptions to our operations, from bushfires to floods to a global pandemic,” Alan Beacham, Global Express division president said in a statement. “We can assure customers their goods will be transported during any potential industrial action.”
Source: mygc.com.au
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