As you will all know the ballot that you voted in for the new EBA was finalised at the end of last week.
The result of that ballot was:
104 in favour of the new agreement…. 5 against.
There is no other way of saying it… THIS IS A GREAT RESULT FOR ALL UNION MEMBERS IN THE RAC!!!
You have fought a magnificent and unrelenting campaign and come out the victor.
Every time management tried to find a new way of taking your hard won and long standing terms and conditions you fought back and said NO.
Just look at the magnitude of this outcome. Nine rounds of industrial action. Rally after rally on the front lawns. Seven Fair Work Commission hearings.
They tried to shut us down and silence us at the RACV Annual General Meeting.
The bosses threw enormous resources at their effort to break you. But they didn’t succeed.
You have held on to all of the conditions they tried to take. You have improved some of those conditions ( eg. The 15 minute tea breaks are now in the EBA forever).
We had to cop the 2.5% wage increase but as we said the maintenance of those hard won conditions was the always the main game. Those sort of things are not for sale.
Enormous thanks to our wonderful delegates Jackie Gadsby, Trish Gittins, Lee Hucker and Marion Phillips. You are the most wonderful, hard working and loyal delegates that I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
In case you don’t know the RACV RAC Union members are the heroes of the ASU.
Many of our Union members in other workplaces were aware of the tough fight you were involved in and always ask about how the RACV RAC dispute is going.
You will also remember that many Unionists from other workplaces came to our stop works and rally’s to support your efforts.
We can now proudly tell them that the RACV RAC Union members have one very clear saying that they live by…
IF YOU DON’T FIGHT YOU LOSE.
Thank you and congratulations again to you all.