Firstly, thank you for your ongoing support of the protected industrial action that is clearly necessary in order to receive a decent wage offer from MTC. To date, MTC have not yet come to the table with more money, despite employees indicating strongly to MTC that 4 per cent per annum was the wage offer that members were after.
As you know, MTC were notified of a 72-hour stoppage commencing this Wednesday at 0600 and ending at 0600 on Saturday. However, we know that stoppages alone won’t get the job done, and that ongoing media scrutiny is a critical component in any industrial campaign.
The union put out a survey last week asking what members would like to do this week, and the results are in. The details for this week’s action are as follows:
This stoppage is absolutely critical. Members overwhelmingly voted in favour of a 72-hour stoppage, which is why MTC were notified accordingly. The Wednesday and Thursday in particular will be incredibly difficult for MTC to handle because of buy-ups, courts, AVLs and industries. As such, it is important that union members participate in the industrial action over these days. Now is the time to stand up and show MTC that you deserve more than the pittance of a wage increase that has been offered so far.
We are also in the process of arranging another interview with Ray Hadley and will be in touch with our media contacts so that this stoppage gets the media coverage that it deserves. If MTC come to the table with an offer prior to Wednesday, we will let members know. It will be up to you as to whether we proceed with the stoppage or consider the offer.
If you would like to talk to someone from the union in the meantime, please contact Mark Ward or Brian Kirk. You can also call Jess on 0401 521 561 or Kim on 0408 249 277.