Brisbane City Council v Australian Rail, Train and Bus Industry Union of Employees, Queensland Branch and Others [1998] QIRC 117 (1998) 157 QGIG 213
212 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRJAL GAZETTE
1
(20 March, 1998
IR24(
Cop
182805-19
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QUEE"lSLAND INDt.:STRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION
\�or�/>fm e R,.,1a,,,,m ,\a /997
,. 127 - apphca1io11 for vari�lion
Ori,hane Ci1> Council
AND
Au>1ral1an R.iil. Tram anll Bu, lr1du,1f\· Union of Emplo}c<=.,.
Que-,n,land Br,111d1 and Other,
/N11. /USM n/ /YY71
RRISO.\NE CITY COL' CU, - BUS TRANSPORT
F.MPLOYF,RS' AWARD
COM!\llSSIONER 81.00:0.lFlr,LO
16 Mardi f<J9S
/\ppl1<";111on lor Varm1it1n lO A\\ard - C-:i,u:tls - Ou, Op,.:rn1n" - Appli<.".i11on
hy BCC: 1<1 inscn pnll"ision p,m iJin� for 1hc cni;:agcmcn1 ol rn,uab -
Opposition hy l'TLI and 1\CTUQ - Failure 10 reach ag1.:cm.:nt al <'ntcrpri�
level - BCC di,a,lvantai,tetl comi,jrc,110 other p11,atc :-and puhhc prO\ idcr, -
Ca,uab 1110,1 cos! dTcc:·ti«· ""'' ol dcalin� \\ilh un,d,.:JukJ \\t1rk absence,
and hrokcn ,hilh-/\roi1ratcd Mauer - Ca:<! 111 support orca,ual pn11 isi,111 b
1.>1erwhel111i11� - Con�idcration nf Ohjcu, ol ,kt :111d ...:h<.�11'.' ,,f the
lcgi,h11on -- Soc1iom J. I 22. I �J. ·, 27. 287 and l&X t·nn,iJcreu -
Conuni,..jon ur� to rcfram from hearing. further hcadn� nr \.ktl!nnining
1hc Applic:ation - Rclcren�c to �,) [;>.1ra Claim, dau,c und.:r Ccrtrlit'd
A�rcc111en1 - Comnu,,ion i, 1101 pr e,ented under \\'age Fixa1m11 Principle,
from dc1crmining. Arpli,·atiun - !\01 an applica1ion helu" the a\\ard Safo1,
iet - Commi�,,\,n hel1c,·e� il i" nc4,.•c,,:1ry l�\ arhilralt· unn:,l1hi.:d lllJllCr
Ca,ual cmplo)ce, dm1sc 10 be in,cn�d rn A"ard.
DECISfO;s;
Back�round, lc\'id�nre and Submissions
On 11 February l'Jll8 I issued a dcci,1011 ( 157 QGIG I 2J-l 15) in \\ hid1
I d,...·idc-d I had jumdktion tn c111crm m :,n Appli,311011 lodgtxl h� 13,i,h.tnc
Cil) Cour1<·1l 10 insert a pm\l,ion imu the Bl'ish;me City Coum·il - Bu,
Tr:in�pon l:.mploycc,· A\\artl allowi11g i<>r the engtigemcnt of rn,u..ih. In
1h:ll Jel'i,ion I indicat<Xl t h�I I \\OU!d nmm1.:n,c 10 111:ar r11c1it .irgum,�11 , in
-- 1 of 5 --
► 2 1 4 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE 27 March, 1 998
connection with the Application on I � fehruary 1 998. E, idencc and
suh1ni�:-,ions wa:-, recei\ ed on that date a:-. \\ ell a:-, on 1 8 and 2-t- 1-ehruar;
1 998.
Mr J . Thompson. who repre,entcJ Bri,hane C i ty Counci l ( BCCJ. put to
me that granting the App\1calion would:�
promote the i ntroduction of a more efficient performance of v.ork
which would suit the need, of Bri,hanc Transport and the
community it ">Cn e-,:
a:-,:-,i'.-it in reducing the current co:-,t :-,tructure \\ hich Bri:-,hanc
Transport ha, to hear:
a:-,:-,i '.-.t in the management of :-,hort and medium term ah,.,,entcci:-,m
costs which arc ,uh,tantial:
reduce the nurnher of hrokcn shift.,:
expand the amount of ,en·ice, w ithin peak period, w ithin the
exi:-,ting network:
facilitate an increase in the charter hu,i ncss a,ailah!e to Brisbane
Transport:
:-.eparatc certain :-.chool and uni vcr:-,it) run:-, out of the mai n ro:-,ter;
produce ,aving, for Bri,hane Tran.srort which w il l contrihute to the
abi l i ty to meet the fu l l co,t pricing regime requirements of the
'.\:ational Competition Policy :
bring B ri,hane Transport more i nto l ine with its competitor, i n
South Ea,t Queensland:
h,1:ing ,thi ..., 1�ward i nto l i ne 'Aith other av, arc_b apply ing to Bri'>hanc
(_ 1ty C ouncJ\ and other puhlic transport operator, in other State,.
. In prC\\i ng _the Commi:-.'>ion to \ <ll) the A\\an.1 a:-, rcquc,ted Mr
I hompson made It clear that it \\'1S not the oh_iccti,·c of Bri,hanc Transport
toca,ua\1,e 11, worklorce. Rather. it was inteJl(Jed to util ise the fkxihil itie,
of fered hy the ability to engage ca,uah to enhance the capac1t, of Bri,hanc
·1 ran.-..port IP gro\\ .
,\\ Thompson cal led one \\llncss 1 11 support ol h i s application c1 \!J
Al lan C,ou\d ,,ho held the po,n1on of Ope1 dt1oi1cll Pl,rnnmg Co-oidinc1t,,,
�vithm Br_i'.'-.hanc ·1 ran'.'-.port. iYlr Gou Id--.. e\ i dcnce trc.l\·er-..l:'d the i:-.-..Lil'"
1dentilied JJ1 dot form ahm e h) outlining to me, the difficulties whic·h were
created w ithin Brisbane Tran,pon·, operation, hccau,c of its i nahilit, to
�ngag:c ca'.'-.ual cmplo: cc:-.. For example_ he i n formed me that there \� erL'
f_"rty-five bu, ..operator, rnrrentl , employed across the nct\\ork to pcrlc,rm
v\ aitmg tnnc run:-, who wer� each paid -.,even hour-.. thirt) -:-,ix mi nute-.. per
day t" work a.s and "kn requ nnl. These operator, \\ere util ised to till in fi,r
ab,ent empl oyee, w ho phoned in sick or who othern i,c did not attend 1,ir
\\ Ork. If one or more of the --wait 1 11g time.. operator'.-. \\a-., not neecleJ to fill a
, acancy they_ were found some alternative. usually menial. task, to perform.
"vlr C,ould mformed me that the,c operators could he better uti l i,ed to expand
and 1mpr0\ e the current net\\ ork if casual, were available.
In a simi lar , ain he informed me that i f casual, \\ere a, ailahlc to
Bri:-.banc Tran'.-.port there coul d he a rcworkin� of current ro...,tcri n !l
arrangement\ whi ch would rc-..ult i n the reduction of approximatelv -..ix.t\ -ll \ �
broken ,hift, per day at a total "" i n/! of appro,imatcl \ S 1 '.2 mill ion
C urrent!) 326 shifts w ere broken shirt,. He al,o i n fonn�d me that sick
lea\ e_ long �er\'icc lea\·c. \\Ork er:-, - U)lllpcn:-.ation. ··health n.�:-,tnction\.. and
annual l ea,e reduced the amount of a, ai lahlc ful l-time operator, on a daih
ha...,1.-.. by approximately eighteen to l\\'Cfll) per ccm. Such ah:-.cnu.�-:-,
nece.,,itated the \\orking of hl ue spot and red spot ,hiti,. A hl ue ,pot shift
,�·a, an ab,cnce that '"" kno\\n the day before but \\ ,1., still required to be
fi lled. A penalty ot one hundred and lift, per cent \\as paid. -'\ red ,pot .shift
wa, one where the ah,cnee wa., not k nown u nt i l the dm of the ,hift and a
penalty ol up to tw o h undred per cent could he paid to hm e that ,hift fil led.
M r D. \latter,. who represented the Australian Rail. Tram and Bu,
lnc\u,tr) Lnion of Employee,. Queensland Branch and other, I known a, the
Pl L I cal led a numher o f " itnesses w ho g,I\ e e, idence a, outli ned bclo\\ .
:\Jr Tom Williams - Bus Operator at Carina Bus Depot
\1r W i l liam, "a' pr(' iou,ly emplm ed a, a ca,ual hu, dri , er in
pn, ate industry and '. 1 n 1 98 8 . had worked for three companies at
tl�c one ti me,. H 1 \ l !r'>t en�agcrncnt wa:-, with Skcnnar:-. to do an
airport tr�n,ler at 7.00 a.m. In the afternoon he did a school run for
Mou nt C,ra, att B u , Lrne, and 1 11 the earl\ evening worked for
Bay,1de Hu, I.me, dn, 1 ng a coach from the Expo site to the Gold
C oa.'>t anJ return.
.\1r \\ ill iam, i ndicated that it wa, nece.s.sary for him to w ork at each
of the: three _Joh, 111 order lo achieve eight to n i ne hour, a clav to
support !11, tam1h. H i , C\ idence ,ugge.,ted that he .,tarted ,,ork in
h,rt 1tude Val ley hcilire 7.00 a.m. and often \\ ou\d not get home
Imm rnrnpktlllg the 1::xpo run until 1 1 .30 or 1 1 .4.'i p.m.
H e al,o i ndicated that 1t \\ a, dillirnlt for him to refuse to do the
casual w ork offered. e , en i f he wa, ,·ery tired. because there w a,
pre,.,ure from the emplo1 er, i m o h ed to accept any work offered.
Mr _Wi ll iams also i ndi cated that in his rol e a, a casual employee he
p�r!t_)l·mcd the "arnc route:-, each <la: He :-,uggc'.-.tcd that the \\ork
" 1 th 1 n the_ Brisbane C i ty Council \\ ould he more di llicul t hccau,e
of the dI!terent run, which the Counci l serviced and it would take
-..omc time for a ca:-,ual to hecomc acclimati:-,ed to the \vork and the
route\.
:\fr Christopher Edward, - Previoush employed as a Regional
Oflicer " ith Brisbane Transport ·
M r hlw ards inforrned me that in hi, capacity a, a Regional Officer
l:c _l ooked arter roster,. \\ ork performance. fill ing o("ork ro,ter,.
! i l l 1 11g ·•:-,ick.1e<· etc. H i :-, work i tn ol veJ looking at the i nitial nhtcr-..
t�) �ak.c account of holida) -.. and other lea\ L' requirement:-, and then
li l l mg the rn,ter on a da) to clay ha,is a, people cal led in sick or
other prohlcm, arose - .,uch a, a bu, hrcakdow n.
\1r Ld\\ ar�L-.. abn i n formed me that a .. yard ,'>hect" \\a. ..., dra\\tl up
three day, 111 ach ance. The yard sheet designated a particular dri , er
to a particu lar run \\'hich_ in turn. compri-..cd a numhcr of route-., foi
that one ,hilt. Tilt' )-ard ,h,·l't could not he changed. IITCspecti, " of
the circu nhtancc. u n\c"_...,, a dnvcr agreed to .. -.,tcp up" and chJ.nL:c thL�
run._ a�1d/or '-.tarti ng time. which the: had hccn ro-.,tt.TL'd tu pc;itffm.
l_k_ llllurmed me that it \\i.1'-.. nccc:-,-.,ar) t(>r the llr�t -,hit!. :-,upcrYi-.,or td
ku,c ntensl\·cl: w ith the a, ailahle dri , er, i n order that thev " "uld
agr�c to chan!].c their ,chcdulcd run and/or ro:-,tcr h) �tepJ;ing up.
He u1J1c1ted that It \\ou ld he c·xtreme\y difficu lt to ti ll ab,ent ,hili,
!I hu, operator:-, \\ere not prcparcJ to -..tcp up hec.1u"'c 1t took too
long to call i n _other Jri \ cr-., once the \\ aiting time cmrlo) cc-.. had
heen u,cd to t J \ 1 the gap,. I n thi, regard he iudicated tha1 the
prohlc-m or finding additional bu:--. operator:-. \\;t:-, cxacerhatcd
he,·au,c oi the fact that employee, \\ere onh allm,ed to w ork a
rn,P.irnum rn.nnhcr of '.-.hi ft-.. l'ach \\eel and al:-,:) hccau-..e uf the 1:t.:ro
alcohol limit ror hu:-. drl\ er-....
Mr Bernard Dokkr - Managing Director, Brisbane Cih Council
Credit Cnion
·
.\1r Dokter° , e, 1denv cu, ercd the hi,tory of the creat1un of the
Bn,hane Cit) Council Credit L·nion \\ hich commenced l i fe a, the
Tram,\CI\ Credit l· 111un. He indicated that one of the primary role,
o! thL' credit u nion wa.-.. to loan rnonc) for motor \·diiclc.'.-. ( l)_V1( or i t-...
kndin� 1 and that thL' ongrnal crcJit u nion had e.-..-,entialh been
L'Ommcik"L:Ll h) the tram\\ a) L�mplo: cc� who needed motor \.ehiclc.-..
lo allc'nd 1,ir \\ ork ,o that they . i n turn_ could ,tart up the public
tr�m'>port ") -..te1n.
!\fr Duktcr ga, c C\ ldcnce that the credit u nion· -.. kndin�
1�cqu 1_rcmcr:h \\ere -...uch that emplo) cc.-.. had to he L'mployc"d on a
l u l l -ti me. or part-time. h,hi, hy the Bri,bane Cil\ Council . He· abo
rndicatcd that crnplo� cc:-, \\ ould need to earn a L-�nain \\ cekh \\a2c
in onl_er to me-et the prudent ial horro\\ ing/repa:;. mcnt rcquir�mci;b
e-..tahl1 -..hcd h) legi,lation.
1-inal l v. l\1r Dokter indicatecl that the credit u nion often became a
l ender of' l a,t re,on 111 that man) applicanh had not heen ahlc to
obtain loan, from other source, and the Board ot the Bri,hanc City
Council Credit Union from t\lnc tu time \\a:-, ah!c to reduce the
rq1a:, mcnt l c \ c] hclo\\ JO< { or week.! ) i ncome i f' 1t in f orml�d the
authoritic...,. He indictlcd that employee:-, cn�agcd nn a casual ha�i:-.
27 March, 1 99 8 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE 2 1 5
would not. under the current rule, o r the Bri,hane City Council
Credit L.:mon. be entitled to take out a loan and. because of the
nature of their enua2cmcnt. anJ unccrtaint\ ahout their i ncon1c_
\\ere abo unl ikc\yctoche ahlc lo bomrn to pl;rcha,e a motor vehicle
from any other loan in,titution.
:\Jr i\lichacl Layt - Bus Operator at Light Street Bus Depot
l\1r La, t was abo an elected delegate of the Pl l.' and was on the
Board of the Bri,hane Cit1 Council Credit l.nion. He indicated
that he had hcen invol\ ed. in hi, capacll) a, a Shed Delegate. i n
electronic ticket training at t h e Light Street Depot. Mr La) t
-.,u u oc-.,ted that the lrai nin!I v-. a-., fairh i n \ oh cd and that it \\�b ··.-..i x
t o :::�i�ht month�" h.:fo,; C\ cryon� \\ a\ L·omfonahle \\ ith the
op12ration of electronic t1clcting.
He ,ugge:-.ted that the electronic ticket i ng procedure:-, \\ere u n l i ke!)
to he able to he picked up and unc\cr,tood hy ,umeonc who \\as not
e.,po:--.cd to it continuou:-,Jy and that unlc�:-, :-.omeone \\ :..b con�tantl)
exposed to its aigencie, the) \vould find it quite dit'Jicul t to
maintain proficiency. It \\ a'-. :-.ugg:e:-itcJ that the learning cun c
woul d h e a l o t longer tor a casual than for a ful l -time employee. M r
Layt <-,uggc:-,tcd 1h:ll :-,orne ernplo)ee-.. neeJcd to he rc-traineJ alter
thcv returned from annual lea,e hecau,e the, had forgotten the fare
'-.lr�cturc:-,, zone.-, and :-io on. The irnp\ic;tion wa: that ca:-,ual-..
\\Ould h,\\ e similar d i llieultie, and w ould need frequent retraining.
\lr Layt abo ga\ c C\ iLkncc about the :-.i.tcahk area :-.cr\"ICL'd hJ
bu,e, from the Light Street Depot including the point that dri, er,
needed to k now a :-,1gnificant numher of rum, and that an) drl \ cr
could he cal led upon to dri, e virtual ly an; of those run,.
;\fr Lavt a\:-,o rra\·e c\·iJencc about the entcrpn-.,c hargain i ng proce-,:-,.
incl uding that.._ delegate:-, in each region were a.-.,ked to _join a work
unit and to hccomc part or the Crnnpc'ti t 1 , e Pe1fonna11ce
A�:-,c:-,:-,mcnt rramework \\, hich :-ict guideline-.. for the k.L')
performance indicator, to he achiL·ved a-.. part or the enterpri . ...,c
bargaining agreement. H e al\o explained the K P I ' -.. \\ hich had been
de, eloped for Bri,bane Transport and h,m tho,c K P I ' , had heen
negotiated. ln doirn.:. -...o he indicated that the i:-.:-,uc ot" L'<-hua\, had
ne\ cr hecn di:-,cu :-,-.,cJ at an:- .....tagc <luring negotiation-., ror the KPI ' -.,
nor the cnterpn:-,e bargaining agreement it:-,c\L
M r Ll\ t also llldi,·ated that " ith the e,ception ol ,1ck lea, c all
KPL-.., •had been met .lLTO'.-.:-, the Council. rnciuding Bri:-.hanc
Tran,port. I n adcl1tion, he indicated that the local kc) perl,,rmance
indicator,. ::--.pecdic to the hu-.. opcr�1tor nctworL had been met and
that there haJ hccn :---ignifil·ant \\ork done tu reduce opcratin� C(hh
right <lLTo.-..-., the \\·hole of l3ri-..hane Tran'>port.
\lr La) t · ..., L'\ 1dcnce v. a..., Je-.,igncd tu e:-,tabli.-..h that the l;niun. and ih
rncmhcr:-,. had ful l : participated \\ 1th the Council in negotiating k.e)
performance indicatpr:-,_ a.-.. part or the C!ltl'rpri'.-.L bargai ni ng
negotiation�. at a corporate and a local k\el. l ·urther. the Lrnon
anJ ih mernher:--- had continued to cu-opcra1e \\ ith the Council to
en-.,ure that the benchmark-., \\ere being met and that operating co:-,h
anJ �en ice ctficiencic'> \\ere corbtantl) being monitored. I n that
regard ca�uah haJ nui heen an j:-,,._,uL' until approxi mate!:-, September
or Octoher 1 997.
\lr John Schacht - Organiser, Public Tran,port t·nion
Mr Schacht haJ he,'n a hu, operator " ith Bri,hanc C1t) Council
from No\ ember 1 976 u nti l he \\ <.h elected to hi:-, pre<..,ent po-.,itiun in
N m cmhcr 1 99 1 . \lr Schacht μ,I\ e c, idenee that he: had hec:n
inrnh ecl ,n the negotiation or a document headlined "THE
G ROVv T H 01- B R I S B -'\'sl: r R X\ S PORT - Staff Pu,n1onin/!
Statement. April I 996"
.\'lr Schacht 1nd1L·atcd that thi:-, document had hl'l'!l negotiated at a
time \\hen Bri,hanc Cit, C"uncil and the Queensland Cim ernment
haJ ap:recJ to a pa:-,'>cng�r tran,port reform package \\ h1ch in\ oh ed
the Gu\ ernment agn.::c1ng to continue fund111g for fi\ c ) car-.. and the
Bn:-,hanc C it\ Council comrnittin:2 to achtC\ l' a thirt\' per cent
pro<lucti\ i t) i.mpr<.)\ l'mcnt in Bn:-.ba�1c Tra1bport opcrati\.>n:-,_ a� \, cl!
a� a :-.igniricant and mca.-..urahlc mcrea:--e in patronage.
Section 2 of "Thc Growth or Bri,h,,ne" document i ndicated that the
running co�h of Bri-.,hanc 'I ra1bport \\CIT S3.Y) per kilometre
which could be adjusted to 52.73 per k i lometre if 66 cents per
kilometre '"1' taken out to allow for higher \\ages. superannuation
ancl specific scr\ ice delivery aspects of Brisbane Transport. Most
pri, ate operators ran at about S2.30 per k ilometre. The document
suggested that a l arge part of the 43 cent cost per k i lometre
difference could he tied directly to current work practice,. The
nt:gotiation:-, hctwcen u nion'.-. and management leading to the
pruduction of the document identified a n umber of change, which
could he put into effect to improve the operational efficiency or
Bri,hane Tran,port.
Mr Schacht wa, taken to the , ariou, sa,·ing, identified i n
negotiation, bet\\ een the parties and indicated that only some of
them had been availed of by the employer. He further indicated that
after the aQreed changes were imp\ementec\ the then manager of
Bri,hane T:·ansport w:nt around to all of the depots and told the hu,
operator, that that wa, all the pain they were going to suffer and
that anv other ,a,ing, would he made out of the network review. I t
'"" suggested that (he changes then agreed lo woul d have achieved
rno.,t of the thirt:, per cent required saving.
.\1r Schacht informed me that PTl.' had subsequently commissioned
a report in rc.,pon,c to calb for submissions in relation to a Public
Benefit Asse,.,ment of Brisbane Transport. The Union · ,
submission wa, written h v a D r Ken Da, idson who had headed
Bri,hanc Transport· ., op�rations in the rnid- 1 98()' s. I n h i ,
commissioned submission D r Davidson took issue w i t h t h e u s e of
the dollar, per k ilometre criteria mentioned ahO\e, citing that
Brisbane Citv Council '., co,ts eou\c\ not he compared to normal
operator, h:cause of a , ariety of reasons including traffic
conge:-.tinn in the area� i n which Brishanc Tran:-.port' , huse�
operated and the fact that certain of i ts route, \\ere conducted for
communit\ benefit rather than a:-. a profit making exercise. It wa�
,uggc,teJ ·that a fairer measuring stick would he cost, on an hourly
ha,i, compared to distance, tra, e l l ed.
M r Schacht abo i nformed me that the PTL had met with Councillor
Maureen Have, on a number of occasions in late 1 997 when PTU
put forward ; package of proposal s which were designed to achieve
,a, ing, for Brisbane Transport without the need to employ casua\s.
T hese prop",ah \\ ere rejected. In passing. I should record that one
of the :-.a\ ing� propo:-,ed \\U\ i n the area of :-.ick lea\ c at a �uggestcd
.'>a\ i n2 of <..,ome S6 m i l l ion. G i H�n the increase in '.-.ick lca\'e u:-.age
m er ihe pre, iou, t\\ch e months I can unc\er,tand the Council l or· ,.
and Bri.,banc Transport' ,. reluctance to accept PTU ' , document -
particularl v at the estimated , a! ue( sl. It had the look and feel of a
pie in the ,k:, propo,al .
hnalh , .'v1r Schacht .stated that the U nion had heen attempting for
:-,omc ·ti me to ne2otiate a ,-..ucce-.,,,.ful outcome to the current claim
indicati n g that P\l; had recent!, put forward another proposal to
Bri,hane, Tran,p011. and the Lord Mayor. to allow for the
engagement of part-tin1L'r-., who would. i n reality_ be casuab by any
other name. Such proposal had not heen accepted.
Mr Peter Davis - Bus Operator at Carina Bm, Depot
\lr Da, i, i nt,inned me that he had previously been the shed
repre,cntat i , e at Carina Depot and had held the position of Vice
Pre,ident with the PTU until ,e, eral year, ago. In his capacity with
the L1 nion he haJ hcen i n\·ohed i n a ro\lering cxerci'-ic at Carina to
tn to make a more eflicient operation and improve the workpl ace
c:ilture. Concept, such a, a nine da:, fortnight were i n volved.
Mr Dan, indicated that although the propo,ab had the support of
reg:10nal management they were not accepted higher up within
Council and he had not pursued them because it had become too
lru.strating. B, agreement with the PTU ' s Executi, e he had
recently been ,;hie - to present the propo,ab. again. to Brisbane
Transport. Howe,er. whilst receiving a �ood reception he kit that
the Council \\ a, locked i nto a n agenda already , iz. casual,. and that
the, \\ere not prepared to embrace hi, iclea,.
'vlr Dol\ i, ,u?gested that easuah woul d not he the answer to
Brishane Tran,pon · s problem, and that helter designed roster,
could assi,t to improve i t, efficiency and cost structure,.
Jn hi, ,uhmissions in support of the appl ication Mr Thompson took me
to certain elements of the National Competition Polic1 and how it would
26252 I DOC
-- 2 of 5 --
2 1 6 QU EE N S L A ND GOVERNME NT IN DU STR I AL GA ZETT E 27 M arch, 199 8 1
i m p a c t u p o n H r i ..., h a n c C it ) C o u n ci l i n :-,, t m k> a :--p L ch a nd B n '> h a ne T r a n.-., p o rt
i n partic u la r. H e hig .h!ig hkd :-,, o m c p a rt :-,, of the cnt c rpri:-,, c h a r �ainin g
agree m e nt \ \ hi c h . h e -., a il . L h a d
l a i d t h e ground v ,:ork f or a :-,,c n'> i hk ctppr o a c h
to the \ ati o n al C o m pe t
i t i o
n P ol
i cy a�crn la o l .. cont e:-,,tahil i t y an d
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r e q u ir e d c1II Cu u ncll u n1h lo a pply a pro ce , s o l
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1 LJ9) \ \ i t h i h O \ \ n ha L ll lL ' C � h
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l ra n -., p ort -., bou ld he f u ll ) c om me r ci a l i1,, cd i n o r d er t o m e et t h e · ·c om p l' t lli \ e
11eu l ralit ) .. r e qu i r e m e n ts o l th e ' .\ al i on, t l C ompet i tion Policy " hi ch h a d lo h e
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o \ · L· r hc� 1d" a nd i n c ffic t L ' Jl t pr o cc :,., "C" - \ \ h1 c h could he t arg ck d a:-- p r i oritic -., f () r
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t o t h e c .... t ah J 1 ..., \ rn 1c nt u f B n ...,h a n c I r a n..., p <ll" t a ,., � 1 C Pt po r at io n .
ln hi g h l igh t i n g \ \'h at he -., ug�c'>ted wa � o ne uf B ri -., b a n c lr a n \p
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p r O\ i d er , M r T h o mp s o n t a h lc ·d c1 s c ri e , o f c x t ra c h f rom t he A \\ a rd s a n J
C e n i li c dA g. rc e rn
c n h w hich c m c red lho,e p ro , id e r,. T h e e x t r ac h .s h m , e d
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ligh t !) di ff e rin g co ndi ti on" rr o r n each ot h e r.
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11 c <'
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cm r l o y rn cnt. rc �pec tivdy . hy hci
n g a hl e t o cnga�c ca-., ua l e m pl o y
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, a kt 0
n et a n d t he i nte rr ela tion ship he l 1Aecn t h e l \l0. M r T ho mps on t o o k Ilk l u a n
e a rl
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l B e nch dc ci' " '" ol l h e C, , mr niss i on i n R e . ( J ue c 111 / w ul !- i 1C
Sc n-
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1l off c1 . .-\mm/ - . \1 111e 1111!1 0 1 / J c n at I I 'l lJ (l ) 152 QG I G 9 9 3 .
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e a se
t he Full B cn,· h arb i t rated a n u ll l he r o f u n r c ., oh e tl
ma tl e r,
h c t w e e n t h e p a rtic, lo th e ,.\ 1 ,1ard \\hich ha d b e e n u n d er n e g o t i ati
o
n Im a
le n g th y rc r
i
o d.. \\ it h o u t agreem en t. D uring Lhe c o ur -.., e o f ! l " dc ci -, io n t h e
h 1 l!
B en ch
c o n �id ered th e hackg round to t he n cgo t i z1 t i o n 1,, . i n clu
d
i n
g t he r ailu rc tt '
a g r e e . a 1,' a
i n sl th e ohj ects of t he !11 d u.1 1ri //l R c l// ti um A c / /99 0 . T
h e fu l l
Ben c h q u ot ed . w it h a p pr m :i i. t h e i n tro d u ct i o n t o t h e D e c l a rn l
i
o n o f P o l in h )
a Fu l
l Be n c hof this Com rn i ,., ion of 20 Dec c ll lhe r 1 99 4 I 1 48 () CI G : rcO
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i c h prov id ed a u� eful -.,u mrnar: of the a wa r d m ak i n g r o l e o l t ( w
C o lll m JS.sion . fn the Liller dec ision it 1,1as , aid ( al
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8 () Ci l( i ., 2 8 1:- -
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s fo
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u �tria l r elati o n '.--, \ y .-,te rn Ylhich promot e .-., c n te rpr i " e ba r g a i n \ n�
a h
o u t \\ ag e .-, a nd c o n di t i o n:-. o r e mp lo y rn c n t \\ i t h in t il e fra me \\ o rk o l
a n a \\ a rd � y .-., t e rn . w h i c h p r o v i de -.., a :-- ak- t y n et o f � c c ur c. r cl c \ a n t a nd
c o n .-.,i ,-., tc
n t w a ge :-- a n d co nd i t io n -., o f c m r!o ym ent. I n h o t li a re a-., . tl 1l'
; \c l p n l\ i d e , for t h e rem o val o r prC\ enti o n o r s pe ci l1 e d l on n , o l
di .... c r i rn i n <tt i ()ll.
T h l' pr i o r i t � i n t h i:-. -., : -., te rn i -., o n t h e r a rt ic -., a t a n L ' n te r p r i .... e
e m pl o y e r '>. cm r,loy c c-., a nJ t hei r r c p n: <-.en t a t l \ l • -., t ah 1 n�
r L ' '> r o n :--i hi ll t y f o r t he ir own i ndu ..... u· id l rc \at1rnh a ffa ir -.., a nd r e a ch i n μ
a g r e e me nt.-, a r rr o p r i a t c t o t h e i r e nt e r p r i � l' .
T h i-.,
n e \\ p r i or i ty rcq ui n_ '. ..., a c han� e i n the \\ a ) t i 1l ' p a n i c " a nd t lll '
C orn
m 1 1,, 1, ,i n n a p p r oa c h the p r c\ enti on a n d " cltl c m e nt o ! in
d
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\ \ h
i ch u n d e r pin " c ntcrp ri'.--,c har g<1 in ing an d p r o l c L· h ern p! o ) C L " \ \ h o
m ay he u n ahl c t o re ach an cnt e rpr·1 ....e a� rce m c nt \ \ h i
l e
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nt a i n rn μ
a n i n cc n t i \ e t o h a rg a i n fo r .... u ch a n a g r e em e n t. lt a J ..., o p n ) \ · i d c , t h l '
bc i l L' l rn 1 a r k for the · no di -, a d \ (.Ultagc tc<-. t" t ha t t \ K A d l' L ' q u ir t ' '-- h l '
md h c for c a gre eni,... ·nh arc c e rtified or i 1 11pl c rn e n t at i n 11 o f c1 1 k r p r i ,., c
ll e x i h i1i t ) ag: ree r n c n b a ppro \ c d h y t he C o rnm i ..., :-. 1 011 . "
;\ 1 r D. l\1 a tt cr -.,_ \ \ ho rcp r c-.,c ntcd PTL t hr ou g h o u t t h e p r rn .. · c c
d
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io n t o H e e· \
1 \
p p
li
c a t
i o n . In h i '.-, -., u hm1..., ,1on ?\ 1 r \ la t tL T " t on k m e i n -., u nw d eU il t n t h 1.- ·
e \ i dc n cc w hi c h h a d h e e n k d a nd h i" i n t c rp n :.- ta t io n o f' t h a t C \ i de n.: c . I k � i1 .... l 1
t ah l c d '> e \c r al c, xt n t c t 1,, fr o m 1 \ \ \a n .h , rn d :\ s..i: r c em cn t" c o\ c r11 H2 b L h u p l '
l" , l t, ) r ,
in p r i
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t c i n d u " 1r ) - and th e puh !i c 1,, c ctor i n'-. P crt li . e h \ \ e l l cl " t : 1 k i n � n k 1 ( ) t h L '
pr cc t " C J e t a i l -., of the c a 1,, u ;:il p ro \ ·1-.,1Pll "- 1n t hc d oc u 1 nc n h te n
d
e r ed h : \ 'l r
J ' ho rn p , o n .
\ 1 r \' latter" "tro n.\-.. d) ar ?-'ucd t h ;. 1 t til e P T L. had p r o d ul · c d C \� l' l h l \ '- '
c Yid
c n c c to t h e C r n nm i -., �i on \\ hic h had h c e n d t.:- � i g n e d to c o n \ i n n? t h L '
(·u rnmi :-...., \ ti n ;_i-., pre , e nt !) con-.,ti t u ted tha t it " ho u ! d C X L 'r c i-, e i h d, ..., d c l! o n l n
r e f ra in fr o m h e a ring, furt h l' r hca ri n�. or deci d i n g B C ('" -., A p pl i c a t
i
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r e � : a r
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a t
p· 1 l a nd t t �
m c mh c r 1,,_ h a d c ng a � c d i n m 1 m cr o u " � u c cC '> '.--, !\ J\ ll l '� O t i a t iu n " \ \ i t h B r / .... h a n c
Tr a n , porl an d t hal PT L had made ,c, cr al o rt er s l <' t he C " Ll n ci l , Ji , , , (] , t h e
j.... ,_, u c -., rHJ \\ p rc ..., -., cd in d!l e ndca\· ( 1u r t u m eet Br i, h a 1 JL ' 'I r a n..., p o r
t"
" \ ) h jc c t i\ l ' ,
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H e d n � u c d t h a t t h e e\ i dc n cc .... h o \\ e d t h a t t h e L ' n i o n h a d h c c n / J o i/ Cl / i de
in i t -.,
a. tt c n;pt " to ac h i e \ c a ne goti a t e d outc o me an d t h a t i t h : 1d u k c n t h e -., t q J
o f p ro \· 1 di n:J. c o ...,tin g .1,, fn r it � \ ar i o Lh pni pl h a l -,_ 111 '-- '( ; !l tr ,1 1,, t t o H ri ..., 1 �, m c
/'r an , p orl w hich had m ercl0 11ro, · , d e d c ,t i m atc , .
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c
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a c
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t a h u ll t l' ' l l · ,
\ \ i l l in � n c -., ..., t o n eg o ti a te 0 1: t h e i -., ..., u c n .? \ ca k d t h a t P l L ' h c1 d n ot c... h1 p pc d i t -.,
a tt e mp t<-. t o a ch ic \ c a n e � o ti a t cd o uk' o m c d e -., p i t c- t h e fa c t t h a t B r i .... h a n c
J'ran1,,port hnd decided to pur:-.uc an nutcornc through the CDmmi-.,-.,ion rLtther
27 M a r ch . 1 9 9 8
Q U E E N S L AN D G O VE R NMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETT E
2 17
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w h i c h appc a.1 1.: U i n th e j .
1 . l l fr · to u nd e nr i n c c on d i t1 o n � e x 1. 1,,t !Tl g
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m g c \ C \ \ o u. L c . . '
w � thin a mi n i m um ra t e" a \\ a r<l o f th e C rn n m 1-.., \ 1 on .
· (' · 1 r T r a <lc U n i o n-., -
'V 1 D R a h to n. \ \ ho a
p p ea r ed fo r A u .,t r a li a n :oun c 1 o . . .
• -., • . , , - i ' '- \ , m a d L' a .-., ho rt -., u h1Y1h� 1on t o the ( u n 11 111 ..... -., 1o n
Q_ ue c_n,l a_ nd B1 c1 nc h h, , c 1 ' · . /' , 1 · -\ . 1 / 9 97 ma, ha_, e 4 99 i f t h e \l o rk1ilw c " i i/ I/Il l \ · ' -
hwh\ 1Q_ht 111 g th a t " · ( - . , l ·"11 ·1-, rrnino t h e e a r \i c r C ' C . , ' •
, > () BCC, Ac rpli
c al l ol l d lll ]l e C'
so1 nc ic lc, ,rnc e t . . , I I , th , C o m mi s sio n d e a l t \\ i l h
-., u h m i � :-. i o n '-, \ \ h i c h .-.,
h
e
h , t d a
c
h �!1 l t: l
' \ \
,
1C� \ r
· · 1· · 1 · 1 1 e l e c 1 > 7 () ( , I C1 L :l- L ) J.
c ertai n JLirl " l 1c t1o n a 11,, :-. " '.-, -
l ·d h \1r \h u e r, o n bc ha l l. oi' I'l l
Sh e h i 2.h l i l.'h tc d t
h
a t tile c , id e n ce c
) ' . , PTl · , \ B ri s h · 1n c . '-.. � � J tl , t neo oti a
t ion ..., hct v\CC ll - a nl . '-
adequ a t el ) d c rn o n ,t ra tc 1a , l " I th· t h· b i the Commiss i o n .,hou l d
T ran sp ort had n o t h ee n c x ha uslc t a nt
i
� �
1 4
;'
lO
;
c l
;
; , i n fr o m h e a r' 1 n g . f u rt h e r
c x. c r c i� e i t " 1 u n� J1 ct1 o n
p u 1-., u � rn
t
. t o :-. . -
h ear in9- or li ec i d in g t h e A p p li c at i o n.
, " • "
r C lc\ a n
t t o 1 11\ c o n-.,i d c ration of t he A ppl i cat ion hcfor c n 1e
. BL L U.U " c . 1 t I - � r o :10 ful l ju ....tifica tion to he r ;, 1rgu n1eni. 1,1a .t I
it 1..., a ppro p na t c . Ill 0 .1 d
e t _ · . · f t h e \\ a o e F i x a u o n
r e p r o d u ce h e r -., u h n1 i 1,, '.--, 1 o n a .-,
11 r e l a t e � l o t h
L
o p c r, ll i o n o c-
P n n c i p le s a n d t h e , a tl'l ) n e t.
l d " \ · 1 h t he · sa lel \ n et· ar e a ,
T h e r c\ c \ a nt S ect i o n:-. o f t h e A . c l t 1 at c d \\ l ., ,....., . , l .
" I , !JI , ·, I , 1 11 d I f iii I. I 221 h I. i 231 I I and I 2 I_ . 28 I I a )I I I , 111 l
folhJ\ \ --,·. -., :-, . 1 -- �
2 8 8( I ) l a I .
. n-,c Oh_j e ch , et the pararnl'l er.s h, plac 1 1 1g a n o� i u
,'. '.;r'
·, ,1 , , , , c_ l ] ]' ] ]W t h e m a m te n a n c c o t a n ct k c l! \ l'.
-., L d c )
t he C o m mi :-. � 1 on -- - � -
n et.
, , , h
m i ue cl th a t should th e C , _1lllJ11 i ss i o n .
feel
_
\-i n al l, . \ lr \ la tt e rs h l. fo r m o f c a , ua l cl a u s e - d e s p it e . t c m , o n ,
, : o mp d k d t o i n � c rt :-.
0
1 n e
- i t '.-. ho ul d i n :-. c rl n o k s.:. ,-., a c on d1 llo il t ha n t h a t
a r g u me nt -., t o t h e c o nt r a ry
-- 3 of 5 --
2 1 8 QUEENSLAND GOVERN MENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE 27 M arch, 1 998
required to establish initially whether the claim is ahm e or bclm,
the. s.a fety net. As today's proceedings arc dealirw \\ ith
JUrtsdrcuonal ISSUCS, and the merit arguments, ir ncccs.san ' 'will he
dealt \\Ith later. at !.hat stage of the procceding.s argument ·ma, wel l
b e ad, anced that this rssue foils within t h e requirements of Pri;iciple
3 . 3 .
I f later .proceedings are required. then t h e interplay between the
JUnsdrctronal issues of the Commission's powers to deal \\ ith sa!'ct,
net. rssues and the _ content of the application \\ i l l need to h�
de, eloped to more f u l l y comprehend \\ hether this Commission ,rs
currently con\tllutcd can \·ary the nominated a\\ard in the term\
\C:ught. and still meet the requirement ..... of rnaintainin� a .....atCt\ net
ot wage\ and employment condition ..... :·. ._ ·
Conclusion
The Application currently hefore the Commi.ssion wa, lod�ed fol lowino
unsuccessf u l negotiations between BCC and PTL about BCC� desire to b�able to engage casual employ ees. The Application \\as made under s. 1 27 or
the Workplace Rel11rio11 1 ,\C/ J 997.
-.. H�1ving regard to the history or the matter it may abo ha,·e hecn that tlw
C ouncl i could ha,e argued for the unresol \ ed dispute to hme been arbitrated
pursuant lo s: 240(2 J(h). Ho\\e\ er. the Council did not choose that cours1',mstead dec1dmg to lodge the Aprlication presently before the Comrni.ssion.
Section 1 27 of the Wurkpluce Relmiun., Act / 9'); is in the 1,,ll m, in� terms:-
"Making, amending and repealing awards
127.( 1 ) The commission ma, make. amend or repeal an award .
(2) I-lo\\ cver_ in doing .'>o the com111i:.,:-,ion i� '.'>Ub_jcct to :-,cction 1 28.
(3) The commission may act under ,uhsection I I J or ih "" n
initiative or on application hy -
( a) the !'vlini,tcr: or
( h J an org:ani:-,.:1tion: or
I c) an employer: or
( d i a perS(m \vho satisfies the commission that the pcr,on "
not an o ! f 1ccr of. or actmg for. an eligible a..,..,0ciation.
(4) The commi..,:-,ion may refrain from hearin�. t u ri hcr hcarin�. 01
deciding an application to amend an a\\ ard " hile it _
( a ) con.siders that. in all ot the cirrn mstances. the panic,
concerned :-,hould try to negotiate a L·crt ificd a!!:rccmcnt or
()WA to deal " Ith the ,ub1ect matter or tl;e proposed
amendment: and
( b ) i'.-. ..,�ti:-.ticd thL�re i'.-i a rca:--.onahk pro:-.pcct of the panic:-,
makmg either of the agn-'Clllt'nh ... ( m;- underline J.
D uring the course or the hearing \1r \latter,. for PTL. im ited rne on a
num_hcr ot. occa:-,1011:-, to C\L'rl'l'.-.C my di-,crction unUcr -,_ J 2 7(-1- J lo refrain from
heanng. _ t urrher h�aring or _<-�eciding the Appl ication heL·au"c the pani c,.'lhould li� .to negotiate a ccrtd1cd agreement. f·or hi-. .-.uhmi ""ion tu "UL-cccdt\\ o cond1t1on'.'l ha\ c to he met.
'.he fir-,.t con�ition i:-,, that the Commi-."ion mu"t reach the conclu"ionthat. i_n_ all ot the CJrTum..,tancc'.'l. the partic, concerned :-,,houid tn to nc�otiate
a ccrtl1 1ed agreement or Quccn:-iland \\ or!-..placc .�\t!rCL'll1e!H aht;ut !he �natkr(s. 1 27 1 4 J( a ) J .
T h e second condition is that t h e Comrni.ssion mu,t b e ,,His/Jed that there 1:-i a rca:-,,onahlc proc.,pect of the partic" making: either of thL' af.!:recmcnh (1 2714Ji h 1 1. , s.
. . In Ill) earlier deci.,ion on juri,dictional issue., 1 1 5 7 Q(jJ(j J �J - J �, 1 In�d1catec.� �t �x?c 1 2-1- .. : . ii i.\ no11· lJffitc ploin ro tn(', nutii"if/n ftl!l(/inl.!,1-1hut P7 L .\ll_\ \ ohout tl.\ ;,rc;wrcdnc., , ro negotiotc. t/l({f !here !.\ no reo.,onoh!e pro,pc( r rftht JNJrtie, rcochtnl.!, tll! O l.!,U'l'JJIC!ll uhou/ Iii( !\ \!le
of rhe engagement of , a,ua/ emplo, en.". "Jothing which I heard · h proceeding, on 1 3, 1 8 nor 24 f-ehruary has causedcme to alter that l�i�w
e
indeed. the e, ,dence. and subm1,"ons. only served to reinforce to m th'
.
there JS ab,olutely no prospect of the parties hcino ·1ble lei ,·,ach
e at
t -, · , ... . · t:' c c agreement on t 1e issue of the engagement of casual emplovees. It is clear from 111 ,re\Ie\\ of the e, 1dence that _ PTL and it.s memhership remain implaeab/oppo.sed to the engagement ol casual employees. y
I h:n e reached such conl'iu,io11 · l d. notw!l istan mg the e , i dence of MrSchacht that PTL. " I ! I l ou l 1c preparcc to agree to the erwa2:crnent of a fo f 1,art-t1 me employrnclll which \\ ou l d allow the engagc�idnt of employ
r
�
0
Ca'.'luah hy any other name'' ., ecs a�
, :\cc:ordi.n�l_\ . haYing arri\cd at a negati\l". finding in re'.'lpcct of thesecond condrt.1on ahm e I s. l " 7 1 4 J ( h J J I re1·ect ' I,· '1att . · 1 · · . . ~ . n " e1 s app 1cat1on that I-.;ho�l�l cxcrc1:-.e r:1_\ d1s.,cretion to refrain from hearing:. further hearine ordec1d111g the Application lodged h\ FlCC Jn doino ,o I make 110 f d. C
determinations in respect o r s . 1 27t4J(al.
c . Ill mg., nor
Howe, er. s. 1 27 < ! J cil,o prm ides the Commission " ith a discretion as towhether or not 1l will mahe. amend or repeal an •rn·ii·d I pr<>[))S t ·d • . • " c • 1. . c o con'.'l1 er \\ hether that d1scret1on should he e,ercised positively, as requested by Mr
I homp_S<m. or negati ve!\ . as requested h1 Mr Matters and M, Ralston. A numhe1 of matt eh are rele, ant to an, exercise of that discretion including·
rnent: the .scheme of. the le.gisbtion. and its focus Oil enterprise bargaining:,md the \\ age hxat1on Pnncrpie, of the Commission. J consider each ;fthese matters helm, .
. ., It was the c, idence or \lr (iould that the operations of Brisbane
� 1 ansp,o�t \\er:. CL�rrcnt!y ham'.'ltrung h_\ it.-, inahility to engage ca:-.ual employ ees. Con'1dcrahle costs were irm1Jved in emi,lovino 1· 1 1-t
.
, , I . 1-
. . , c u 1 me l:ll
�) <.\J C�"- ��) p�r orn: waitrng time run-, and through Council '� inabi l i ty torc�rn !-.. cu11 cnt I �)'.'ltcnng arrangemenh lo reduce the numhcr of broken \hifts
he111g \\orked. h1rther .. the pos1t i , e henelits to be -1c111·c,·ed 1· 1· 111 , A 1· · ' c pp 1cat1on \\a-, �ra.nted \\·ere outJrncd hy .\1r lhomp">on at the commencement of hi..,
-.uhm1,\1on (-.,cc ahO\'CJ. -
It i, clear from the , · d d
. . e, 1 ence pre,ente that Brisbane Transport is �-n�T
�a�m?:Y :_ hci �'.g_ rc_4u ircd to mo\ c to make it\ operation\ competitive on ;:�l ,.h lo l ike has1, " 1th other operators. That po.sition ha, heen forced uponBnshane .I ranspon not 1u,t b, norlllal pre.ssures for procluctivitv and effic1cnc\ 1 mpro\ crncnt-. hut h)- t\\O l'\lcrnal Jcvclopmcnh.
/'lie llr�t de\ el<�pnk'nl \\ a--. the negotiation of the Bri"hanc Transportreform pack.ige het\\een BCC and the Queensland Gm ernment as a resu lt or\\ h1ch .Quecn:-i!ar'.d (i<n crnmcnt agreed 10 contJnuc funding to BCC for fi \ e
, ears 1 11 return for \\ h1ch B C C COlllmitted t o achic,e a -10'7r product i , i t,·
i mp10\ crncnt rn Bn�hane Tran.-.port operation:-, and a :-,,ignificant an�f l llL'd'-Urahlc inc1T"chL' in patrona§'l'.
The second de, eloplllent was the introduction or '.\ational Colllpetit1onPol i c , '
. 1 1.1d a rcqu1re111rnt that Bnsbane rran,1,c,r·t lllO\'l' to a po:-,ition oJcompct1t1 \l' neutrality a--. required undc1 that Policy.
In_ '..L''>pon...,e to the firq exte_rnal de\ elopment Bri:-,hanc Transport met" ith ,p r L' and the rarties ne�ot1,1tcJ the document "THE GROWTH OFB R I S R L\"Jf. fR \"! S PORT S 1·1· l' · : • · · 0 · . , - - ta os1tionin!l Statement. April 1 996". Dunr_ig the ncgotiatmn--. 'll!T()LJ11d111� that document certain chan2c, to \\'Oil
praL�tice:,., and procedure" \VL�rc agreed. ft wa..., -,uggc:-,,ted _ hut h� no mcJ.n"conlirmcd - lbat tho:-ie cha!lf!C">. a, \\·ell a-. '-Oflle other -.;uh.-.equen-t \ ariation:-,rn. pro_c�-J.urc-., had .!?J to the ach1c\ cmcnt of an l 8 (1( impnnement in piodt'.L l l \ �l; l:, en d__ that he "'· producti, it) le,el s need to improve by alunhu J _ ' ,I H( C s as>reement \\ ith the Stille Gm ernment i, to he achie\ ed.
The ,eco,11d dn eloplllent heh been adopted as pol ic1 h) Commonwealth and State (10\ ernmcnh and ih rcquircment.... arc pro!2re-,:-,i \clv Oeing implemented through each of the three tiers or gm ernnient � includi,;g FlCC�
. I t is a requirement or the '\at1onal Competition Polic, that Brishane I r�ubp<.H:L a" a COlll tllL'rcial hu."illL'"'> unit within H(��C. achie\·c a C()lllpetnl \ ely neutral pnung status compared With other pri, ate and publict i ansport prm iders. B udget "tor-ups" and suh,idisation are not to he �:Hhrdc.rcd lll �\ a!uatinp: \\hc'.her con:pclittvc neutrality ha\ been achieved.I he e, idence i e , cals that Bnshane -1 ra1bport ha.s not achie,ed that ,talusand that 11 1' u n l i,el\ io he able to achie,e the requirement so Ion� as it 1s
u�ah.:e _to c,n�:l�C Gt'.'lual emplo: ce:-,,. T�c rc4uircment to achic\e cor;1petiti\ eneutr :d i t\ c'.'.' P'"hl) l and al mllst certamly J went beyond the 307' (or the lur the, I _ , I productl\ 1 t , 1 mprmcmcnt required under BCC,\\ 1th the State Go\ crnmcnt. .Agreement
27 March. 1 998 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT I N DUSTRIAL GAZETTE 2 1 9
Jn pressing for the Commission to grant BCC, Application Mr
Thompson stressed that the Council acknowledged that PTl ' and its
memher,hip had \\orked co-operat i , el y \\ ith Council since the negotiation of
the fir'.'lt cntcrpri\c hargaimng agreement and. particularly. '.'lincc Entcrpri�e
Bargaming Agreement l',;o. 2 which came into effect on l July 1 996. He
readily conceded that the employees, through local \\ork units. had identified
and irnpkmented a range of measures designed to irnprm e producti, ity and
efficicnc) hevond tho,e that were negotiated and identified in the "(irowth of
Brisbane TransporC document. Despite these change,. further
irnpro, emenh in producti, ity and efficiency were required and the ability or
Brishane Tran,port to engage casual employee,. with the tlexibil it, that that
offered, \\as seen to he a nece,,ary ,tep if the dictate, on Council were to be
ach1e, ed.
He aho stressed that Brisbane Tran,port did not intend to ca,sualise its
workforce and indicated that something of the order of 1 90 ca,uals could he
engaged. Bri.shane Transport currently employed 1 .00:l bus operator,.
Despite the apparent overwhel ming arguments in ,upport of a provi,ion
allowing for the enga/lcment of casual employees PTL has hecn unable, or
un\\ illing. to advance a proposition acceptable to the Council. PTU had
prop().",l'd a nurnher of change\ to exi'.'lting \\Ork practice\ and policies
[Exhibit 2 1 [ which. it w as suggested. \\ ould re,ult in a co,t per k ilometre
reduction of 30 cents. However. the proposals were rejected by HCC. This
was the document which I categorised earlier a, a "pie in the sk) " proposal.
Some of PTU' s objection, about ca,uah seem to he philosophical.
Some of ih ohjection:-i '.'lecm to he out of genuine concern ahout the numher
of hour, which casual employees ma, work and whether the employees
\Vould haYe an ade4uatc income.
Hm, ever. one wou Id havc to question the real 1 eas<>n wh) the concept of
ca,ual employee, has been "' , igorou,ly contested. The most l ikely answer
is that if Brisbane Transport is allowed to engage casual employees it has the
potential to ,ignificantl) affect the o, ertime and penalty rate earning, of
emp!o) ees who are called upon to \\ork additional shi fh or auditional hour,
to u)\ er gap" in Bri"hane Tran:-.port· \ manning. The cle�ire to protect
O\ ert1rne and penalty rate earning" i" no rea.">Oll to \\ithhold conc.,cnt. :\or i.\ a
phil osophical oh.icction to ca,uak
!he e, idence or Mr Layt. and to a lesser degree '.\lr W i ll iams. \\as that
ca,ual ernplm ee, \\ ould ha,e dirlirn l t, learning the Counci l ' s electronic
ticheting machine, and that the, \\mild also ha,e di l li rnlty learning the
C<>unci l · , route,. These alleged Jifticulties were cited as ( further) reasons
\\ hy C..t\ual:-i :-.houkl not he engaged. I do not '.--hare their concern\. I r
Bri�hanc Tran.\port i :-. permitted t o cnga�e ca:-iual employee\ i t \\ ill he
11L'CL'":-iar:, for Council to takL' the rc\pon"ihi\11:, for cn'.'luring that the
cmp!oyce:-i arc adcyualcly trained in all a...,pccr:-i of the work hcforc 'iuch
employee.\ arc a!!owed to commence driYing the Council · � huse;', and
"en iL·ing ih route�. Except a" 10 \afcty �hpech the adcyuacy of their training
,hou lJ not be a matter \\ hich should m erl) concern other hus operators who
ha, c their m, n duties to perform.
Further, ½hiht the L:nion might ha\c p.cnuine concern:-. about the
mini mum mi mher or hour-., or work \\ h1ch might he rnac.k a\ ailahk to ca:-,,ual
bu, operators the hald real it) " that any potential casual ernplo,ee will he
reluctant to accept employ ment unle" s/he can he prcn ided with an adequate
number of hour, to ,uit that indiv idual employee· s expectation, and/or
requirement:-.. \\ihat might :-,,u i t one indi\·1dual employee might nut -,uit
another and \'ice H'nu.
\1r Gould. _..., c\·idcncc '.'lug:ge-.,t:-,, that the current cmplo:, ment requirement\
tll\.' "uch th;:it Council ha, forty-tl \ c hu.\ opcrator:-i who are engaged to
perform waiting time run, and who are each paid '.'lC\ cn hour\ and thirt} -'.'lix
rnrnute" i1Te.\pccti\ c of whether the:, arc required to dri\·e or not. The
replacement of tho-.e employee"' h:, part-time emplo:,-ce-. \\C)lild not \Cem to
he an adequate altcrnati\t? g:i\ en that part-lime employee-., arc generally
entitled to recei\ e O\ ertime payment:-. once the:, ha\ e exceeded the hour\
" hich the, \\ould normal I, ha, e worked on a particu lar da, or in the cour,e
of a particular week. Ca:-iual emrloJ ee'.'l. \\hO'.'lC engagement can he ex.tended
heyond a minimum period by agreement_ \\ithout 1x1J ment of an o\ ertime
loading. woul d appear to he the most cu,t cffectiYC \\a\ of dealing with
un,chedu led work ab,ences.
Similarly. the engagement of e,1:-,ual:-,, to perform hroken 1-ihift.'.'l or other
\\ lffk c.,uch �b charter:-. or certain �chool and univer:-iity run'.-- \\ ould seem to he
et \ Cry co'.'lt cffcctiYc a!ternat i \ c to exi�ting arrangement�. Ha\ ing Gl\Uab fill
other vacant run:-i - including where emplo:, ee'.'l are on leave - i:-- abo more
nht cffccti\·e than paying o\"crtime to exi'.'lting hu'.'l operator'>.
There were no , alid or acceptable suggestion, from PTU during the
cour,c of its evidence or submissions - perhaps with the exception of some of
\1r Da, i< s e, idence - that the existing arrangements could he i mproved.
and the dictates on the Council assisted to he addressed, by some method
other than the engagement of casuab.
In the end result. after considering a l l of the material advanced in
evidence and ,uhmi"ions, I have concluded that the case in support of the
inclu,ion of a provision in the Brisbane City Council - Flus Transport
Employee,· Award allowing for the engagement of casual employees is
ovcnvhel ming.
Although I have reached such conclusion it is necessary for me to
rnnsider \\ hcther. in light or the obligations on the Commission in the
Workp lace Rclurion.1 Acr / 997 to promote enterprise bargaining, I should
act to , ary the Award.
I deal firstly \\ ith '.\1r Matter,· argument that the Counci l ' s Application
was inrnn,istent w ith the "io !extra Claims provision within the existing
enterprise bargaining agreement. In the normal cour,e of events such a
submission \\mild have heen persuasive. However. the enterprise bargaining
agreement between Brisbane City Council and the variou, Lnions which are
signatories to it is not the normal type of enterprise bargaining agreement
registered \\ ith this Commission nor with the Australian I ndustrial Relation,
Comrni'.'l�ion.
The enterprise hargaining agreement sets out a number of Objecti,,e,.
Arter each Objective there are a number of clau,e, ( and tables) which record
how the parties expect to be ahle to meet such Objective. The pro, ision, of
such clauses invariably identify a series of steps and/or processe, by which
the parties expect to he ahle to work to meet the primary Objective. I ndeed.
,ome of the step, and/or proecssc, are. thern,ehes. on11 objectives - with
:-.trateg:ic\, target:-,, and target date� '.'lometime� '.'let out in tahlc form in the
document.
\1r Thomp�on de.'icrihed the enterprise hargaining agreement a� a
"Facilitative". as opposed to a " Prescripti , e". document. I totally agree with
his assessment. The l\io Extra Claims clause within the agreement is in the
following tcrmc.,:-
.. Thi:-,, Agreement contain� the agreed major change '.'ltratcg:1c'.-. to he
pursued in the l i fe of the Agreement. It is agreed that there will he
no extra claims bv the partners in the l i fe of the Agreement. beyond
tho,e negotiated under objecti v es L 2. J and the remuneration
frarne\\ ork in ohjecti , e 4.
In the event that there is a need to de, elop and implement additional
or ne\\ '.-,lratcgie-., the partner'.-- \\ ill di:-,,cu\:-,, and agree on implication-.,
for the remuneration package."
In my view the Application hy FlCC doc, not seek to introduce any ne\\
major change strategics hevond those which have heen negotiated and which
arc .\et out a:-,, Ohjecti\ ec., I . 2. 3 and -+ of the cntcrpri:-,,c hargaining agreement.
The Application. to allow the engagement casuals. arises direct!, a, a
re,ult of the t\\ o external developments identified above. I f the Council ' s
Application i, successful i t will assist hoth parties t o achieve several o f the
Oh.iecti, e, set out in the enterprise agreement. This is particularly so in the
case or Oh.iecti, e I , iL "To pro,e that we can provide competitive, , alue
for-mone:, . qual ity :-iervice to our cu'.'ltomer� and the community" and
Objectiw 2 , iL "To use our own committed. ,killed and responsive
employee,\ to pnn ide our '.-.crvicc'.'l on a competiti \ e ha�i<·.
If C\lr Mattei< contention i, correct i t would pre , ent the parties at a
local le\ el di'.'lcu'.'lsing any matter which might nece�-,itatc �ome change to
exi'.'lting procedures and/or provision\. Thi'.'l i:-,, clearly not the ca:-ie and nor i�
it intended that the enterprise bargaming agreement he interpreted that way.
I therefore rc.1ect '.\1r Matters· submission that I should decline to
consider BCCs Application because or the existence. and effect. of the l',;o
Extra Claims clause.
During the course of the submissions on the .iuri,dictional issue and.
again. during the merit argument I wa'.'l referred to \ ariou� '.'lection'.'l of the
Work11/ace Relation., Ac! / ')97. including s. 3 . ,. 30. ,. 1 22 , s. 1 23 . s. I 27. s.
2 8 7 . ,. 288 and s. 499. The Commission had raised \\ ith the partie.s the
applicability of s. 499 to the Application lodged h) BCC and sought the
parties· , iew, on whether that section had any rele, ance given that it did not
seem to be l i mited in its possible operation. '.\1s Ralston (as noted above)
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220 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE 27 March, 1998
made some submission, to 1hc afk.ct 1ha1 ic ma)' be releva I I
(. . . . . . . · n to 1 1c
. oinm1 ,.,1011 ". con,1dera 11on of lht' Application. The ocher parties general!,
rndicate<l lhat ll wa, not rel evant. l
. I turn now 10 consider the ,·;,riou , ;,,:,·tion, of the ,\('I 1.o which I was
relem::d / my untb lining where it appear,./.
. Sectio� 3 - ..Prindpal ohjec1 of chi, A,t'·. relcv�ntly indicates chat one
ol '.h� pnnc1pal ohJCCb 1> lo prO\ idc ..a framework for rnoperative workplace
,cl,, 11�m, lhal ,uppons economic prosj)t'nty and welfare by . . . cbJ e.n,urinu
eh� w·rn1arv re.,pon,ihili1y liw tk1er111i11ing m,111cr, aflecti ng the rclati�n,hi�
h�C\\ecn employer, and emplnyce, rests with the employer and ihc
e mployee, at lhc wor�1>lace or ence,pr i,c level..
. T�c .,;im" ."'"i�1 1 abo _indka1es 1ha1 another principal obj ecc i, 10
pro, 1dc che mean, Id)( 1J lor wage_s and empl,)ymem condition, It> he
detcn n rnt'tl '" for "' [l<>'>inle by the ai!rc�ment of cmrlo1·ers and cmplovees
a1 the workplal'e orcnie1prisc lc,·d". • •
. , Sig11 ifi c�111tly. _in my ,- i�w. the objects of the A.cl also provide a ,pccific
rnk l(>r 1he CommtssJ (lll. m (f). 10 cnahlc it:-
..1 i) to e,whli,h ''.n ",,ard ,a l<!t) nee hascd on ,implified award, 1,1
111<:n.'<1'� lkx1hil1ty at lhe workp!:1,·e or emerrrbc !c,·el: anti
liil lo a:-..'.°'i...,1 in Jh..: m�lking of eollectin� rind indi vi<lw,I ..agreement:-.
1ha1 arc rdc,·;1111 10 the llt'Cd, or individual workpla('e;, and
cn1erpri:,,,e:-.: antl
(iii) lo P'".
"·'nl and ,c1tk indu,1rial di,pu1c., a, for as po"ihle by
rn11_c,ha11nn_ a11d. ;1· ;,ppropriate and within sp,x:ilicd l imiis, 1,;,arhurrth<Hl: . .,
T!ll· . . 'tc..'l'li(\U furihcr pn.>, id.;:, lhar in perfonnin� it:-. functions
c..· (imm,:-..,wn mu"! c· n,un: n ,,afct) m.:t of foir minimum waoe...,
cmph>) mcm c..·ondilton, i:-- L�:-.1ahfi...,hcd. ha, in� regard to_ � ·
iaJ Ille ncc·d co pro, ilie foir minimum sianda rd, for emplow,,s in
tlw <:i..HHcxt of Ji,· i ng �landard., gern:ralh· pn.:vailiru.? • in lh�
rn1mnu11ity: and · -
C h) (•con<,mic fr1<:tor,. includin� le\ d� or prod ut:tivitv cind in iktt;on
and th..• d('�inll,iiil) of att;.1ining a high l�vd c;r t'mplovmeot;
a nd '
1t·J "hc11 a dju,1m� the ,afo1y net. 1hc nec<l, of the Jow paid.".
.. ,4) The ,:ommi,.,i,:11 ma) refrain from hearing. fu rcher hc:,ring. or
tll.'Ctdlllg an appl1GU1on 10 �mt.·nll an award while t1 _
<:on�i<kr-.. 1h�u. in :tli of the t·ircum�arn..·.:•�. Lhe pnnie:
t:on\.·t>rntd !'lhou ld try to nl!gotiall! a ,.:ertiticd agrecmen1 or
QW A 10 dea l l\ i1h the• .,ubjcc t n111tk·r of tl;e proposed
aincntJmenl: a1u.l
lb) i, smi�l,cd !here i, � r�a,onable pro,pect of the ,��rcic,
makinu either of 1 he ae-recme111,:·.
. h _.,e_<:•n : 10 "'.e. ,tlicr r�;idinil "· 3. 112. I 1J and 1 ?.7. that lhe
C.1,ln�mh,1 011 •� rcqu1ri.:�I 10 encourage empl oyer� and employee� at individual
\\•orkplac�, or enccrpn,es 10 mnke agreements ab<">ul maucr, affecting ihe
, el.n,on,h,p h<:twecn them and lha1 the Commh.,i on should act accordingly
whil:1 i1 considers 1ha1 the parties ,hould try 10 negotiate a cenified
agreem<"lll rn QWA abou1 tire ,ubJCCI mailer of a proposed amendmem to an
award �nd the Comm1'>10n i, satisfied that there is a rea,onable prospect ifthe parues domg "'·
<
In the in,1am ca,e lhe Commission has encouraged 1he panie, 10 lllakc
an agr eement about the mailer pressed by BCC. The Commission a,
pre�cm�y <·onstnuied ai nngcd fo!. the parties 10 con lcr, yet again. under the
�ha,r_m,.
,n,h1p of Comn�1sS1on�r F1she.r about 1he ma11er contai ned within the
Apphca11on. Conum"1oncr fisher had earlier chaired conference, about that
•_
nailer and ocher, but <lc,pi 1e her be,, cndeav<,ti i·•. .., no agreement ww,
lonhcoming abouc 1he i;,sue or ca,ual employee,.
In addition, the Commi"ion as rre.,cn1lv conslilul·'" li·i- <> 1 .• • •• C'-(.1, • ,�. I (\H!
occasi,:n�. a�1v_cd ,u the condu�ion tha1 1here is no rca,onahle pro,pect of
1he pa1 ue, m.1irng e11her a cer11iied ·1ore<:me111 or ,1 Q\"A L, ·h . . .. �e � ,v arn.)Ul l e matter:-,wh,ch are the ,uhJCCl ol BCC', Applic;uion. .
Whilst ,. .'lih) dic-1a1c, 1ha1 one of 1he princi1nl ob·ic•·t• ol' lh' A t · 1·
h· , · . ' . ' •' � c 1, or
t c P<1rt1e, ill a workrlac.c or emerprisc leve l 10 1ake 1hc p .· ,.,. •·b· 1· · , . . 111naniesponsi 1 111es ,or de1ern11111n•> mailers affe('lino ihe rel•t· h. I . :: · e u 1011:-. JP )Clwcen
them JI .,ecm, 10 me 1ha1 had the Legi,la1urc intended 1hat they l ' k 11, . I
responsibility ii would have ,aid �o. " c 10 so c
In my ded,ion on lhe _juri,dic1iona! aspects ( 157 ()GIG 123- 125) I
po,ed a ques11on :1hou1 what 1he Commissio1,·, r<>I,· "''l" '"lie 1 tl . ·· •
. . • v n , .• n ., h.· pan1e,
la1lcd 10 reach ag.rccmem about an is,uc bctw•=11 the111 I ii · J . . , . •, ........ • . � so �uggcste· Ihat
11 the L egislmure had 1111endcd 1ha1 the Commi,�ion 1101 act to rc,ohc maucr,
where there was no rea,onable prospect of the parties reachin" a�r�cmcn1
1he
_ Leg1sla1u rc would h�1vc incl uded a prohibition 011 ar t,·111- o 1·0" -. ·1· .
h I h · . u I n ,:,.1m1 �u to
I HI w1u.: " contained. a1 ,. 58. in Chapter 2 - ..Agreemen1s...
In such drcum,mnn:s it �ee111s 10 me 1ha1 where the Comm ission h;is
don� aJI lhaL 11 can 10 en�ourage :.in<l foc:ititate the makin� of an n,,recm )Ill
a1.
1d no a�rcemem ha,_ bc,m forthcoming. it would 1101 he contra;;, 10 �he
�d1eme ol 1hc lcg1 ,la1t1)n lor 1hc Cornmi,sio11 co deicrminc chai it ,hould
<1rl>1tra1c 1hc unresolved mancr.
Nothin° in , P7 st1uo,·•,1 1l1a1 tllu C · · _ � .. . := . · ·. - · . oi=-"'
: :-. I;; orn1111�,1on cannol nrhitrmc 10
decide an Appl1ca11on hctor� 11. Indeed. 1hc:, wor<li11g of .,. 127(-1) ""'
1ha1 I · · · ;,u�,_,, ,1
'.' _t1M:re11011 ex1s1s lor 1hc Co,rnni,sion to <lecide co arhiiratc:: even frthe
en11d111ons 111 lh:11 suh- section have hecn .-.,1i,ilcd. 1-fo\\tVCr. ihc ,uh -sct'lion
neccls Ill be co1i;.,dcrcd m the comcx1 ofthe legi,kttion a, a whole.
Scx:1ion '.:'X7 of the AU SC.ls Olli lhe Commission·, 1·un('tion,. Tho.-.c
func1i<m., indudt':-
" / c') r"soh·inu di,pute, hy ('onciliaiion 01· in<lu,1rial llKlller, and. ii'
�- b1' arhitra1ion or making a11 order: and -
(I) makine award, on allowable
unJt"rlining:J. award matters:·· (my
�uch function_:.. "iugg.esl to me thiil the Conunis�ton is required to
�·orn, 1d�r \Vhelhcr arh�t�uiun 1:-. rK?<..·c.-..:-.ary where 1hc-rc remain:-. an unrc�olv...:d
mdustnal mancr(s) ahcr all a11cmp1 s «1 co11cilia1ion have foiled.
, ru .nhcr. a s"":citic fu n�·tion i:-. to make awards on allov..·tibk· a\\'W'<l
m,Hter,. A prov1s1on cnahlmg chc engage men1 nf ca,ual emi1lovccs i, un
al Iowahie mnird mauer 1,. 1 28( I )(r)J.
Finally. ,. 188 - "Pcrfonnan,i: ofrn,nn1bsion·s function,.. pwdde,:
·'288.( I ) Tiwcommi;si@ mu,t perform i1, function,_
lit/ 111}dc:· a provision of thi, Ace in a way rhal further, the ohjecis
ol th1, A.et rekvan1 co the provision:... ·
. That ,cction ,i�1ply reinforce, to m� 1ha1 1.h� Commis,ion should onlv
tnns1der: arh, rrauon ,n c.:arcumqance� where 1he Comrni:,.'.\ion h;..is cncnul'a�e�·Ilhe rar11�, to make an agreemen t of 1h� 1vpe mentioned ,1 , I '714)( -1 � •J
1 • f' . . • t, •7• - a llllt
t 10,c <' fon, ha,c failed a11d 1he Commission h·1, clecid·d th l> · -:-
neec.-..:--ary. - ·· .. · t:: :it ar 1 trntmn 1,
A.flcr rnn�idcring the various secli(•ns of 1he Act 10 which 1 ""' referred
I have •:eachcd 11'.c conclusion that despite the primacy a,·cordcd tw che Act 1o
cn1erpn!-C bargamm!( 1ha1 foclor i< 1101 enou<•h '-v 1·1 elf I<> •"' . . . ... ·
,:,, P,; � cuu:-.e me lO
txerc,,;c 1he d"cr,1 1011 availahle under ,. I ]7( I J to dcdine 1o arhitraie ihe
unresolved dispute_ - retlec1ed in this Application - for the indu,ioll of a
prov1s1on Hl 1hc Bnsb;i ne City Council - Bus ·rransport Employee,· Aw,ird
27 March, 1998 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE 221
allowing Brisbane Tran,pon 10 engage casual employees. As I indicated
,thov e 1 he case in favour of gra11t ing the Application i;, overwhelming.
In my view it i, nece.ssarv for 1he Commis.,ion 10 act co resol ve the
impa�se belween PTU and Brisbane Transport abouc the i,�ue of the
engagement of c:asual employee.s because 10 fail lo do so would be to ignore
other ohjec1s of the Act which require the Cmnmission 10 perform i1s
function, in a way which supports e.conomic pro�perity and welfare by
<:ncouraging, through higher rroductivi1y and a tlcxible and fair labour
market the pursuit or high employment. improved living standards. low
inlla1io11. a nd national and i111ema1ional compc1i1ivencs., (see s. 3(a)). A
,imilar requirement is imposed upon 1he Commission al ,. 1 23(2 l(bl.
The only question for me to now con:,ider is whether 1hc Comrni"ion·s
Wag� Fixation Principles prevent 1he Commis.,ion from graming BCC',
Applico1ion.
I reproduced ( aho,·cJ the argument of Ms Ral�ton. puc al the lime on
behalf or ACTUQ and PTU. 1hm the Wage Fixation Pri1wiple,, prevented the
C,>mmission from de1�rrnining BCC',; Application herause it wa, a claim for
the insertion of a provbion ..below 1he ,alety neJ of fair minimum wage, and
c.:ondit.ion<·.
There ar c no provisions within the cun-enl Award which would allow
Bri,ba11c Tran,pon 10 employ casuab. The provision is sought merely to
allow Brisbane Tran,pon 10 engage new employee,,,_ as ca.,uab. to as.,isl ii in
il, endeavour 10 111ec1 the requiremcm, of rnmpc1i1ive neu1rali1y us required
hy the National Competition Policy. The nature or the benefits whid1 would
tiecomc availahk. if the Appli�ati()n wa, granted, were spell oul by Mr
Thompson at the commcncemenl of his submission,. Brisbane Tran�p<in ha,
also specifically rejected a11y ,uggc�1ion tha1 i1 would move 10 lrnnsfer
c.,i,ting full-time employee, 10 1ha1 s1atu,.
In my view. pri nciples ).I a11d 3.2 of this Cornrnission·s Wage Fixation
Principle., ( ( 1 997) 156 QGIG 1 1 1 l relate 10 applic111ion, 10 vary exi;,iing
provision, by i 11creasing or dcneasing such provisions or to in,cn new
provbion� which irn.: n!�bc or cle(.'.n;a�c cxi�ting entillemenl:'l. An example of
an appli,::uion below 1he salel)' 11e1 would he one which sought to reduce lh�
quamum of ,i,k leave from eight day, 10 live day, per annum. An example
of an application S<!eking a v:1ria1i,.,n above the safely net would be one
which ,ough1 1 0 iocrea,c 1h.: yuan1un1 or ,ick leave from eight da)', to 1en
days per annum.
The i ndu�ion of a provi!--iOn lllll affecting cxbting wages or condiliOll
of empl(lymem multi hardl) be ,aid lo 1,c �n appli(;ation below the safrty net.
There is m) douh1 1ha1 gran1ing 1he Applic'a1ion may lead lo a reduction in
lhc overtime. earning� of ..:-xi�ting. hu� opc1·ator�. HowC\'CL that pot>itinn
might also ar ise if Brisba11e Tran,pon decided t<> employ additional full-time
drivers. The granting of t he Applic.ati()n would 1101. by it�df. 1.:ad to a
rcduccinn in the -- exis1i11g wage, and condi1inn, in the rdevanl award.. tsce
pri11,ipk 3.1) hcca u;,c 1he wage rate for hu , operawr, will remain u11changed
a� will 1heir overtime rates. An applica 1io11 sctking tl1e i ndus,on of a
pnwi,ion which may lead 10 a reduction in penally ra1e eomi111<,< - n<>I the
penal!) raics 1hem,e1,c, .. i, not an applica1io11 helow the safety ne1.
Havi 11g regard 10 ,ucce,,i«, Wag<' Fi�:11io11 Principles adopted hy 1hi,
Commission (which are men1ioned in principle I - ··1inrod11c1ion'') I do 1101
accept that principle 3 - --Role or Arhit. ration and the Award Snfoty Net..
.;ould c,·er be read in ,,ud1 a way 1ha1 1he Connni"ion wa, pr evemcd from
nt:ting 10 include a pro,·isi on in ,i'n award whid1 had the plllen1ial 10 produce
,igniricon1 crlkicncy and cost impruvcmen1, ,imply hernu,e an employee or
employees may lose ovcnime earning, a, a result. Sut:h suggc..,1ion llies in
1h� face of all 1hat thi,; Commi"ion ha, been 1rying lo achic\'C. and
�ncouragin� Lhc pa11ies 10 achieve themsel ves. for almost a decade.
I therefore rejecc the ,uhmi"ion that chc Commi,,ion b prcvcmed u nder
its own Wage fixa1iu11 Principle, from dc1cn11iniug BCC, Application
because it is an applica1ion helow the ,afet)' net.
Acwrdin,2lv. ha,·ing indicated 011 several occasion , (ahovc) 1hm che case
in ,uppon 1i1hc granting o f BCC, Applicn1ion is o,·erwhcl111ing I have
d�citled 10 ac1 lO vary the Brist,ane City Council - Bu, Tran,pon
l::111ployees· Award.
The dau,e co be in:;cncd is no! that which was applied for by BCC i11 i1s
Application. I ha,e d�raned from 1 he clau.,e applkd for in Several re,pccis.
viz. bv rcducin£ 1hc number of work period, which can be worked from 3 10
2. and b) altering the cnsual loading to 19'k after deleting the reference 10
long ,ervice leave from the group of items covered hy ,uch loading. I am nol
prepared to depart from such an established ,tandar d without hesuing specific
argumenc on 1hc point.
ln decidin2 lO vary the Award in the form that I have I ha,·e con,idcrcd
:tl l oflhe exhibits tend;red by Mr Thompson and Mr Mauer, a, well as some
other awards of this Commission which contain casual pro,·i�ions.
The clause which I have decided 10 gram. to be in,cned into the Award
from today's date. is in the following tcrms:-
·'(9) Carnal F.mplo_we -
(i) A casual employee is an employee who is
engaged on an houriy ba,is.
( ii) A casual employee will be engaged for a
minimum period of work of 2 hours dur;,cion and will
only he paid for work performed.
(iii) There will tx: a maximum of 2 work period, for
shift of duty.
(iv} Casual employe.es can perform work 10 a
maximum of 25 hours per week averaged over a 12
month period.
(v) Ca;,ual employees will be paid a loading of I 9'l
in lieu of annual leave and sick leave:·.
The Commission determines and or der� accordingly.
A.L. BLOOMFIELD. Commis,ioner.
Appearances:-
Mr J. Thompson, Mr P. Cran itch and Mr R. Lunl for lht Brisbane Ci1i
Council.
Mr D. Mauers for 1hc Aw,1ralian Rail. Tram and Ru, lndu,1ry Union or
Employees. Queensland Br:111ch.
Ms D. Ralston for th� Amlralian Council .-,r Trade t;ninn;. - Quccn,land
Branch.
Operative Oa1e: 16 March 1998
Dcci:--ion - Ca�uah-
Released: 16 March 1998
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Official source: https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/QIRC/1998/117