The government's Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal can best address the continuing safety crisis in trucking,which has claimed the lives of six people in the past week alone,by focusing on the retail sector and by conducting a travelling inquiry across the country to get a thorough understanding of the scale of the problem.
The Federal Government established the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal in March 2012 to address the safety crisis on Australian roads,that leads to 330 deaths on our roads each year in truck crashes and more than 5300 injuries.
Speaking ahead of a TWU submission on the tribunal's draft work program for 2013,senior Victorian TWU official John Berger said:"The draft work program of the tribunal,published at the beginning of November,was a clear indication that the tribunal recognises the scale and the scope of the crisis in trucking and intends to deal thoroughly with the issues that make driving a truck the most dangerous job in Australia.
"However,given the scope of the draft work programme and the myriad of issues in the industry,it is clear that the tribunal will need to prioritise its workload."
"Today the TWU is submitting that the best way to tackle the largest proportion of these issues is for the tribunal to focus on retail supply chains,where the majority of these issues manifest themselves with alarming frequency.
"Major retailers are responsible for almost one in three truck movements in Australia and more than 20 years of cross party,independent and academic reports,together with driver testimony have shown that these retailers are using this unprecedented economic power to drive down conditions and standards and put enormous pressure on truckies and transport operators across the industry–with lethal consequences."
Craig Ballinger,an owner-driver from Western Australia,knows first hand about how major retailers are using their market power to drive down standards in the industry.
"It's the likes of Coles who have so much control over the industry that are pressuring truckies to push or even break their limits,"Mr Berger said."They're making the industry more dangerous for everyone.I'm an owner-driver and I know how hard it is to say no to them when you need the work.
"We believe that that best way for the tribunal to get to the heart of the problem is to take itself around the country to where the issues are occurring.By doing this,the tribunal can see first hand the pressures that truckies face with every load."
John Berger said:"The tribunal presents an unprecedented opportunity to address the systemic causes of the safety crisis in the road transport industry.The TWU believes that a focus on the supply chain of major retails like Coles,will provide the largest lens with which to examine the majority of issues within the industry and provide the best platform through which the tribunal can help to improve conditions and save lives on our roads."(219)
