Motorists should brace for lengthy traffic delays throughout South East Queensland today as Transport Main Roads electricians walk off the job.
More than 40 traffic signal electricians from the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast depots of Transport Main Roads walked off the job on Monday morning in response to Department bureaucrats’ attempting to strip back their pay and conditions.
ETU Queensland and NT Organiser Brenton Muller said the Department of Transport and Main Roads was refusing to comply with state government policy by altering the way staff can progress through grading scales of experience, and disrupting the transition of labour hire employees to full time employment.
Mr Muller accused the Department’s industrial relations team of running personal agendas against the state’s traffic signal electricians and called on Minister Steven Miles to pull the Department into line.
“They are seeking to reclassify the scaling experience of staff to diminish their pay and working conditions,” he said.
“These negotiations have been ongoing for more than six months, and today we are further from resolving these issues than we’ve ever been because of the Department’s vindictive attitude towards staff.
“All these workers are asking for is for the Department to implement state government policy. It is time these people are held to account.”
Mr Muller said there were staff in place to respond to any emergency breakdowns on the traffic network, but delays could be expected on roads throughout south east Queensland.
“However, with so many electricians off the job today there won’t be the staff available to cover anything less than emergency maintenance issues, meaning we could see congestion throughout the main roads of South East Queensland as a result of Departmental vindictiveness.”
Further information please contact: Brenton Muller 0428 392 935 or Dan Nancarrow 0448 633 858