The TWU national leadership faced an election recently, with the results now in
In the recent Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) elections, national secretary Michael Kaine and national assistant secretary Nick McIntosh have welcomed another four-year term delivering safer, fairer and more secure jobs for road transport and aviation workers after the AEC confirmed their re-election.
Kaine and McIntosh have vowed to focus their next four-year term on taming the Amazon Effect smashing road transport supply chains, training all union officials on holding gig arrangements to account, building on the job security improvements won by workers last year and using legislative opportunities to make transport safer, fairer and more sustainable.
TWU members recently welcomed a commitment from workplace relations minister Tony Burke, acting on the unanimous push from a transport roundtable ahead of the recent Jobs and Skills Summit to empower the Fair Work Commission to set enforceable standards in transport.
“TWU members are front and centre of our work to improve the lives of transport workers and their families. Re-election is a powerful endorsement of our strategy to lift standards for all transport workers without exception, which we will not take for granted. We’ll fight every day to deliver on and strengthen our collective plan to tackle the Amazon Effect,” Kaine says.
“Last year we saw thousands of transport workers stand up and face off job security threats brought by the unregulated gig economy. We’re seeing the unity of transport workers reflected throughout the industry, with supply chain clients, gig companies, major transport operators and industry groups linking arms with workers to call for reform for a fairer, safer and more sustainable transport industry.
RELATED ARTICLE: Tow truck drivers now required to declare maximum fees
“It’s a privilege to stand at the helm of a union that will not relent in our mission to save lives on our roads, lift industry standards, and end unfair, exploitative tactics to pit workers against one other.”
TWU national assistant secretary Nick McIntosh says: “There’s a buzz in the industry and particularly within our membership that we are on the cusp of reviving transport from an industry all-but abandoned by the former government, hanging on by a thread with deadly consequences, to a prosperous industry where all participants can thrive.
“TWU members have led the charge to create safer roads and skies and ensure all workers and their families are protected. As a union, we will continue to maximise every opportunity at our disposal now and in the future to challenge economic powers driving down standards in transport and aviation.
“We look forward to another term working hard alongside the TWU’s strong rank-and-file membership to deliver an ambitious and important plan to improve our industry.”