The definition of an essential worker has come under scrutiny following the Covid pandemic.
It is time to recognise the critical role transport workers play in sectors like buses, waste management, and road freight — industries that have kept New South Wales moving, day in and day out — as among them.
In our recent submission to the parliamentary inquiry on Options for Essential Worker Housing, the TWU highlighted the need to rethink who is considered essential.
Under the current framework, only employees in health, education, police, fire and rescue, and justice are counted.
While these roles are undoubtedly vital, the state government’s narrow definition overlooks the thousands of transport workers who ensure that New South Wales can function smoothly every single day.
Transport workers are the silent backbone of our economy. Imagine Sydney’s streets without garbage workers — they would be overflowing with waste in a matter of days.
Picture the supermarkets with empty shelves because road freight drivers couldn’t deliver goods. Consider entire communities stranded without bus drivers providing crucial public transport connections.
These are the realities we would face without these workers, who were rightly considered essential during the pandemic but have since been forgotten.
Despite their indispensable role, transport workers were overlooked in the government’s recent budget, which provided a $1000 cost of living payment to other essential workers.
Transport workers like bus drivers, who are among the lowest-paid in the country, received nothing. They were hailed as essential during the pandemic, yet now they have been left behind, with stagnant pay and worsening conditions.
Decisions made by the previous Liberal/National state government have only compounded these issues. Years of neglect has left the transport sector in a precarious state, where pay has stagnated, conditions have deteriorated.
Workers have been expected to pick up the pieces. It’s time for the NSW government to acknowledge this reality and broaden its definition of essential work to include those in transport.
We applaud the current NSW Labor government for its commitment to supporting essential workers, but this commitment must extend to transport workers. These workers are vital to our economy, and they deserve to be recognised and rewarded.
The TWU stands ready to work with the government to ensure that all essential workers, including those in transport, receive the recognition, respect, and support they deserve.
It is time for a fairer, more inclusive definition of essential work in New South Wales.
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- Richard Olsen is the TWU’s NSW/Qld state secretary.