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Advisory: Make our trains at home, say rail workers
Media Advisory: Rail and Maritime Transport Union Friday 26 February, 2010
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) is using an open day at Hutt Rail workshops this Sunday to urge KiwiRail to back the New Zealand workforce and ‘buy kiwi made’ in its upcoming locomotive and wagon procurement.
KiwiRail is in the market for new locomotives and wagons, and rail workers in New Zealand want the company to commit to building new locomotives and wagons here, rather than upgrading older stock from overseas, RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson said.
Details of the Open Day:
What: Hutt Workshops Open Day, to highlight the work they currently do and what they are capable of doing to build New Zealand locomotives and wagons.
Where: Hutt Workshops, Woburn, entrance via the Bell Road gate.
When: Sunday 28 February 2010, from 11am until 4pm. NB: Alternative date if poor weather is 7th March 2010.
Ends.
For further information: RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson on (04) 473-6693 or (027) 496-2461
Locomotive engineer shortages can only be fixed with training
Media Release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union Thursday 25 February, 2010
A dedicated commitment to training up the New Zealand rail engineering workforce is the only realistic way of combating the lure of higher wages in Australia that is threatening the industry, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) said today.
“Australian wages for locomotive engineers are almost double and a recent recruitment drive is now beginning to hit the industry hard here in New Zealand,” RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson said.
“KiwiRail is experiencing locomotive engineer shortages, and the best long-term fix to this is a dedicated training programme to up-skill New Zealand rail workers in related trades, many of whom would welcome the chance to train as a locomotive engineer.”
“High unemployment in New Zealand also means that a crown entity like KiwiRail should be looking at home for solutions to job shortages, rather than recruiting locomotive engineers from overseas.”
“Overseas recruitment remains a band aid solution, and we will continue to advocate for a ongoing training programme in New Zealand for locomotive engineers,” Wayne Butson said.
Ends.
For further comment: RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson on (04) 473-6693 or (027) 496-2461
National’s ACC cuts will rip off workers
Media Release for IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday 12 February 2010
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union says latest moves to cut back on ACC cover for injured workers amount to the stripping back of a public asset ahead of privatisation.
“ACC works for injured Kiwis, and we want to keep it that way,” RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson said today, following the release of a select committee report considering ACC legislation changes.
“The National government is attempting to portray ACC as in financial trouble and in need of major reform, despite advice from PricewaterhouseCoopers and others about how efficient and cost effective a scheme ACC is.”
Click here for the Full Media Release
Rail Union Concerned About Mothballing Of Central North Island Rail Line
Media Statement For IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday 5 November 2009
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) is concerned KiwiRail is mothballing a damaged North Island rail line. A major derailment closed the Stratford-Okahukura Line in the King Country on Monday night, and KiwiRail management have told staff the line will not be repaired. The line was not being closed, but would remain inactive, as management claimed it was not commercially viable to fix it. RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson says the decision was heavily influenced by Government attitudes towards publicly-owned KiwiRail.
Click here for the Full Media Release
CEO's Cluster On H&S
Transport unions demand place for workers in health and safety group
Joint media release Rail and Maritime Transport Union/Maritime Union of New Zealand FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday 11 August 2009
Transport workers have questioned why workers have not been invited to join a new health and safety group being set up by the Minister of Labour. Click here for the Full Media Release
Longer Heavier Trucks
RMTU Media Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Wednesday 22 July 2009
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) says that plans to allow larger trucks on the road will have bad consequences.
Rail and Maritime Transport Union General Secretary Wayne Butson says if larger trucks are permitted, it will make New Zealand roads less safe and will be bad for the environment...
Click here for the full Media Release
Cold Wellington Trains
The union representing rail workers is demanding action on Wellington commuter trains where defective power units are making train travel a "cold miserable experience" for both passengers and staff. Click here for full press release
Rail & Maritime Tranport Workers Mourn Workplace Dead
“The Rail & Maritime Transport Union and it’s members will join with other Unions globally to remember and mourn those who have perished in the workplace, on International Workers Memorial Day” say’s the Union’s General Secretary Wayne Butson.... Click here for full press release
The NZ CTU Fact sheet on ACC Controversy
Friday 13 March 2009 Click here for more details (246kb)
RMTU/MUNZ - Transport Unions Say Sole Focus On Road Building In Infrastructure Package Wrong Focus For New New Zealand
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday 11 February 2009
Joint RMTU/MUNZ Press Release on the Governments Infrastructure Package along with the Press Release from the Government on the Infrastructure Package. Click here for more details
NZ Has Anti Rail Experts Too!!-
ISCR February Seminar - The Future of rail in NZ - Click here for more details
RMTU Speaks Out on Ngaruawahia Train Incident
Rail and Maritime Transport Union media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday 4th February 2009.
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) says that action must be taken to prevent a serious rail incident in the Waikato.
The union is responding to an incident on Tuesday 3rd February where children on the Ngarauwahia railway bridge pelted the engineer of a freight train with stones and bottles...Read the full press release ( 432Kb)
RMTU Keen To Establish Dialogue With New Transport Minister
Rail and Maritime Transport Union media relase FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday 17th November 2008
The country's largest transport Union, The Rail and Maritime Transport Union, congratulates Steven Joyce on his appointment as Minister of Transport and hopes the new National Government will continue the funding and other support.... Read the full press release ( 586Kb)
New Zealand transport unions back Wellington Bus Drivers
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) New Zealand affiliates media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday 25 September 2008
Pressure is mounting in support of Wellington bus drivers as major New Zealand transport unions affiliated to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) met today in Wellington and made a statement in support of locked out Wellington bus drivers...Read the full press release ( 24Kb)
Rail workers call for support for ACC changes (June 17 2008)
The Rail & Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) says all political parties should support proposed changes to the ACC scheme to give better support to workers who suffer mental trauma from workplace incidents. Read the full press release. ( 26kB)
Government repurchase of rail and ferry operations great news for rail workers and NZ
Rail and Maritime Transport Union media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Monday 5 May 2008
“Railway workers will be celebrating today’s news of the government’s repurchase of the national rail and ferry operations. This purchase will see the national railway asset and the “iron bridge” across Cook Strait returned to the people of NZ, and the industry will finally have an owner who has the means to be able to back up the promises for much needed investment,” Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) General Secretary Wayne Butson said today.
“The RMTU campaigned long and hard to get the Labour led Government to buy back the rail tracks but we always knew that in order to have the rail industry deliver what this country needs that they couldn’t stop there. We have all been urging the Government to go the final step to renationalize the network.”
Mr Butson says that from the day that the National government sold off the SOE NZ Rail Limited to an American led consortium, the lot of rail workers and customers has been down hill in direction. The flavour of the day was to extract the cash, replace it with debt and do just enough to keep it going.
“Toll purchased the rail business and they have promised new locomotives since they arrived. Years later, not one order for a new locomotive has been placed. It has been ‘paint them up’ in Aussie colours and send it back out into service,"
“Recent years has seen an exodus of key skilled workers, who were leaving because they didn’t see this industry going anywhere. Today’s announcement will start to stem the drift.”
“The RMTU is keen to be a part of the rejuvenation of the NZ rail industry so that it can deliver the safe sustainable transport option demanded by global warming and escalating fuel prices, and we call upon the Government to make strong early statements of investment in new locomotives and wagons.”
“We know that there will be those who will condemn the Government buy back as a return to the “bad old days”. To them we say look at the record of the SOE from 1987 to 1993, which saw the entity turn into a profitable enterprise.”
ENDS
For further information, contact Wayne Butson, General Secretary, RMTU on 0274-962-461.
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Click here to watch the TV3 Sunrise segment 6/5/2008»
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