A long-time subbie caught up in the DC pay wrangle with Toll in Brisbane tells us that the supposed recent U-turn on contract payments for subbies at Coles’ Parkinson site is a red herring.
After our recent coverage of the dispute in which we revealed Toll was ordering operators to upgrade their trucks to Euro 5s or newer, and cutting their pallet rates at the same time, the logistics giant agreed to reinstate the old rates for owner-drivers with just one truck.
But our source says even that supposed concession isn’t as good as it sounds, with drivers now being told they need to drive to the Forest Lake DC if they want to get work, and even then, they’re only earning an extra 30 cents per pallet.
The driver we spoke to says he was at least given a September deadline extension on the order to buy a newer truck.
But with repayments of $600 per week on a $79,000 2014 second-hand Euro 5 option, the maths simply doesn’t add up.
“I’ll be out on my arse as well after that,” said the truckie whose weekly earnings are now down up to 60% each week.
WA Senator Glenn Sterle says it is inconceivable that a multinational transport company and a multinational retail corporation, can honestly think that by offering to reinstate pay rates for single operators that the problems will go away.
“We know the costs to run one, two or three trucks are the same. We know there are minimum award wages that have to be paid, at the very least. We know it’s hard to find drivers. We know that Tolls and Coles have reduced daily earnings by up to $300 a day,” said Sterle on his Facebook page.
“We also know that Toll Group and Coles are trying to fool us into thinking that by having two tiers of contractor rates that they won’t push the majority of runs onto the lower freight rate.
“You can’t have different rates of pay for the same job!
“To Tolls and Coles, how the hell can you look at yourselves in the mirror each morning and think you’ve done a good job?!
“Stop stuffing around and reintroduce the old rates for all category of subbies. And then, get on to rebuilding the trust you’ve lost through this with your valued owner drivers who have been with you for many years.
“Two words Tolls and Coles – dignity and respect.”