AmazonFlex parcel couriers and food delivery riders are today exercising new rights to apply for enforceable standards for gig workers under the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) new road transport division.
The first-ever applications include a safety net on pay to ensure workers can recover their costs, earn a living wage, and be compensated for the intermittent, uncertain nature of their work.
The Transport Workers’ Union said other entitlements in the applications include company-funded superannuation and safety training, as well as consultation and representation rights.
Under the new “groundbreaking” laws, gig workers, owner-driver couriers and truckies now have access to the Fair Work Commission for the first time with a dedicated expert panel tasked with setting standards to make road transport “safe, sustainable and viable.”
The panel will set those standards informed by consultation with the industry through a Road Transport Advisory Group (RTAG).
Employment Minister Murray Watt recently appointed TWU NSW/QLD secretary Richard Olsen and Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO) secretary Peter Anderson to the RTAG, who will chair subcommittees with industry participants on relevant standards.
“This is the start of the biggest shake up of the transport industry in living memory, and not a day too soon,” said TWU national secretary Michael Kaine.
“This is an industry that has claimed the lives of almost 500 workers and more than 3500 businesses over the last decade alone.
“Workers, employers, gig companies and even clients like Coles and Woolworths united for industry reform, achieving legislation that the TWU intends to use to its fullest potential, starting right now.”