RTBU Tactical Analysis: Labor Unions, Strikes & Fair Work Act

This essay provides a tactical analysis of the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) and its role in contemporary labor relations, particularly focusing on a recent strike in Sydney. It explores the relevance of labor unions in an era of evolving business practices, automation, and changing labor laws like the Fair Work Act. The essay considers perspectives from both business establishments and employees, questioning the necessity of the right to strike and the impact of technological advancements on traditional labor structures. It also discusses the implications of the strike, the importance of responsible union practices, and the potential future of labor unions in a rapidly changing economic landscape. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools and solved assignments for students.

Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................3
Can we state that the concept of a labor union has become a redundant concept?...........3
Let’s see it from the perspective of a business establishment or the authorities.................4
Do we really need a right to strike?.......................................................................................5
Machines have their own set of laws for the operations......................................................6
The recommendations of the fair work act give final touches to the negotiation between
employees and employee......................................................................................................6
Five steps to resolve the issues..............................................................................................7
With the ordinary job comes great responsibility..................................................................7
The aftermath of the ban on strike created a paradox..........................................................8
Union’s force the spirit of democracy in a system; however they should follow democratic
practices sometimes...............................................................................................................8
A broader movement for the working class catering to some individual needs...................9
On a conclusive Note.................................................................................................................9
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................11
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
Introduction
Why do we need employee unions as its first place? The answer to this question may force
you to turn the pages of socialist literature where they have mentioned about an economy
working on a harmony between job seekers and job givers. These books say that agencies like
labor unions act as the force of balancing between employer and employees. Most of the
countries promote the concept of labor laws very predominantly. However, they don't deny or
discourage the concept of a labor union because in a way labor unions act as an arbitrator
between the employees and owners. This eases down the pressures on the courts and it is a
win situation for all (Burgmann, 2017).
The thought process of communism failed in many countries because it was against the
interests of a businessman or the person who is investing money on the merit of risk and gain.
However, the failure of communism never prompted the idea of the removal of the labor
unions from the list of the stakeholders. However, with a passage of time, their role became a
bit mild in the process. At the turn of this year, railroad employees in Sydney and adjacent
areas threatened to go for a strike (Clennell, 2018). It was a joint decision of many small and
big labor union working under the flagship of RTBU (Rail, Tram and Bus Union). This call
for a strike created a roar in the media because trains can be considered as the heart line of
the said are. The methods and the negotiations that took place during the course of the events
s once again brought us on the brink of the same question that changed the nature of
sovereign and forced the formation of USSR in the year 1917 after a grand armed revolution
(Swain, 2017).
Can we state that the concept of a labor union has become a redundant concept?
Both capitalism and communism have an equal arrangement for the welfare of the
employees. The theories of the communism say that a labor has equal rights to the profits that
an endeavor is making, they also have a right to quality life and security. They have a right to
move into a society like a setup where they can feel free and enjoy their life after work.
Wages is another issue, the wages should be in tandem with the economy, and they should
ensure a minimum guarantee of the fulfillment of the necessities for the lower strata or the
weaker section of the society. In the similar fashion, they should also have an encouragement
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
for the talent pools so that they don't migrate from the society and search for some pastures
where they can earn in accordance with their capacity (Lichtenstein, 2013). This formula
seems simple in the case of the state of the utopia. However, in today's competitive world
utopia is a distant dream. The current establishments and business arrangements also follow
the same spirits, however, in a capitalistic outfit they provide perks to their employees, they
offer securities and guarantees to the employees. The regulations connected to the human
conditions are very strict in all the industry sectors. They share profits with the employees in
the form of bonuses. The government sector is also promoting the culture of the corporate
social responsibility and giving tax rebates to the CSR Pro activities. If we have a parallel
arrangement ready then why we need a labor union is a big question. The recent development
in the Sydney strike case raised some questions connected to the roles of the labor unions in
the current setup of the industries and businesses (Lutz Preuss, 2014).
Now when both the systems have provisions for the employee benefits and governments
across the world are giving economic benefits to the companies if they are sharing the goods
with the employees then why we need employee unions is a big question. The turnaround of
the events in the case of Sydney rail strike certainly has some answers ready for us (Hawke,
2018).
Let’s see it from the perspective of a business establishment or the authorities
The cost of the operations are increasing with each passing day and people are not ready to
pay that much. There are huge gaps in the inflow of the traffic (Gabriella C. Gonzalez, 2009).
This is why most of the producers are planning to replace humans with the machines in the
coming future. While writing an analysis about the role of a trade union during a strike, it is
very important to understand this fact belonging to the industries of the future where
machines are ready to replace human beings (Sullivan, 2018). In the current study, we will try
to check the stand of RTBU under the light of various principles as they are designed for
various trade unions (Probert, 2018). During the course of this compilation of the facts,
opinions, reviews, and views we will also try to explore the changing roles of labor unions in
the future economies where the threat of smart machines and robots is underlying and it is all
set to change the rules of the game drastically.
The role of Labour Unions in the Contemporary world, union's behavior in the era of
temp jobs
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
The economies of the developed countries failed to grab a lion's share in the previous
industrial revolutions because they were heavily dependent on the supply of the manpower.
After a deep slumber of more than five decades, the economy of Japan and the USA rising
up, this time they are coming up with some business models where Robots will replace
human largely. Robots certainly don't need robot labor unions. The current theories they have
already given it the name of Labor 4.0 (Gupta, 2018).
In the past, most of the labor unions were surviving on the principle of collective bargaining.
The forces behind the industry have come up with two solutions, first, they abolished the job
contracts and started a free-lance culture and second they started hiring people for short
tenures where authorities cannot establish an employee and employer relationship between
the two parties. Many experts believe that the doom’s day is nearing for the culture of the
labor unions. The supply for the labor is on the higher side and the principle of the collective
bargain is not applicable because the labor industry is becoming fragmented. In the era of
labor 4.0, the importance of the labor industry will decrease and it will happen because
instead of the collective bargain, the employee utility driven bargain will acquire the
forefront.
The implications of the role of the union in Sydney Rail strike
After the intervention of the authorities, they called off the strike; the issues raised by the
union are still unresolved. On a face value, we can always say that this strike was a massive
failure on all levels. Labor unions joined hands under one flagship expedition; however, they
failed in capitalizing on the strength of the forum. The failure of this strike also indicates
towards a demise of the culture of the collective bargaining power. Labor unions came into
existence because technical hands were in demand and they were in a position to bring in an
abrupt halt on the proceedings. Now machines are able to facilitate a newbie under the
capacity of an end user. This major trend shift in the market of the skills can be the decisive
factor for the future of the trade unions. The implications of the current strikes are only an
indication for the future fate of the labor unions.
Do we really need a right to strike?
In the year 2007, a fair work act came into action. The primary recommendations of this fair
work act were dedicated towards the welfare of both the parties. The labors and employers
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
were covered with equal rights to come up with their woes and concerns. The spirit of this act
was intended towards a framework where both the parties can meet with each other after
regular intervals and solve the disputes under a legal framework without disturbing the
harmony of the business setups (McNally, 2018).
Under the current developments in the case of the strike called by the unions, when the
authorities refused to entertain the strike and threaten for some consequences and came up
with the regulations of fair work act, many union members raised their eyebrows and said
that it is an erosion of the right to strike? Let's think about it from a different perspective.
Every system has its own corridors of communications where an employee can put forward
his concerns (Powles, 2018). The same system also has certain forums where we have a
provision of some forums where concerned parties can come together and have a healthy
discussion.
The recommendations of the fair play act serve the fact that under no circumstances any party
can blackmail the other party. Motormen and other staff members of rail fraternity are always
in a need of employment. With a natural increase in the population and availability of the
technical hands, the jobs connected to the automobile industry and motoring industry are on a
decline, the supply is huge and the demand is less. However, it never means that companies
can put their employees on a ransom and deprive them of a probable raise or create inhumane
conditions at the workplace to make them resign (Powels, 2018).
At the same time, labor unions should also act responsibly, they should feel the dignity and
the responsibility of their posts. The recommendation of the fair work act creates many
junctures where labor associations and authorities can sit across the table and negotiate their
interests.
Machines have their own set of laws for the operations
The stance of RTBU in the current strike was very judicious and prudent if we check it on
paper. They never talked about safety hazards; they never raised an issue connected to the
working hours. Any such claim can become redundant. A railroad and a system surrounding
it is a machine driven assembly line (Schmidtke, 2013). Most of the rail engine companies
decide the working hours and ergonomics connected to the humans working with the engines.
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
It is the same with the traffic control units and other equipment. The maintenance and the
monitoring of the railroads is another area where the culture of strong checklists prevails and
human performance is a very strict criterion in these checklists. Safety surveys conducted by
the Rail authorities also advocates certain relaxation for the employees. RTBU never
challenged this technically certified evidence-based practices. Their woes were connected to
external matters. For instance, they were seeking to change the culture of reporting (Berg,
2015). They were looking for soft postings for the employees where employees can stay
closer to their native houses.
The recommendations of the fair work act give final touches to the negotiation
between employees and employee
The trade union acts of various countries identify trade unions as the representative of various
employees working in the eco-system of a business. A business organization can strike two
types of business relationships with a human being. They can hire them as the vendor or they
can hire them as an employee. In the case of a vendor ship, both the vendor and the business
are liable for justified taxation (Mamorsky, 2018). However, in the case of an employee and
employer relationship tax rebates are in place for both the parties. When we check the case of
Sydney rail strike under the recommendations of the fair work act then we find that the stance
of banning the strike was right in many ways. Particularly in the case of Australia, this fair
work act defines the role of a trade union as the mediator or the party representing the case of
an individual in front of the authorities. It entertains the pleas of a union under a progressive
mindset. A progressive mindset is a mindset where we wish to change a few things in the
system while staying in the system and abiding by it largely.
The role of the trade unions can be described under the same guidelines. Stay in the system,
abide by the system largely and force the system to listen to your woes. The ban on the strike
in the Sydney was justified because it was challenging the sanctity of the system.
Five steps to resolve the issues
Under the fair work act, a strike is justified on five occasions, these five occasions denote five
stages of the negotiations. During this period the fair work act allows the employees to
abandon the work and go or a protest. However, the protest should be done under the legal
framework and it should not disrupt the operations or the public life (Clennell, 2018). These
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
five states are designed in a fashion where the parties, the employee and the employer have
equal opportunity to negotiate and change the drafts of the demands and their resolutions, in
accordance with the negotiation. When we check the lingo of the literature connected to the
trade unions then we find that these stages are the stages of a collective bargain (Mamorsky,
2018). Trade unions and labor unions have all the rights to bargain during these five steps and
later on, they can move ahead to different forums like courts or the industry regulators. Many
countries also have the provision to fix an arbitrator prior to the constitution of a labor union.
With the ordinary job comes great responsibility
The recommendations of the fair work committee say that any ordinary job should not be
treated as an ordinary job; it has its own share of responsibility factors attached to it. Any
employer should never forget it. In the same vein on many occasions, various apex bodies of
the law also repeated the same sentiments in their verdicts given under various judgments
where labor unions demanded a right to strike (Lutz Preuss, 2014). The quantification of the
responsibility cannot be changed under any given circumstances if it is unlawful for an
employer to disrespect the utility and responsibility of an employee. In the same fashion, an
employee cannot disrespect the sanctity of his own post. The fair work committee
recommends a structure where a union can demand the best and optimized deals. They can
also practice their power to bargain for their rights and privileges. The reason behind the
power of bargaining can be compared with the power of an employer to bargain for the
salaries when they have multiple options. Under the existing legal frameworks and the
definitions set by the apex bodies looking into the matter a ban on the strike was on the cards
and nobody was surprised with that either. The valuation of the dignity of the job and the
responsibilities attached to it is also a big factor (McNally, 2018). The role of the trade unions
was unjustified in the case of Sydney strikes because they were running away from the
responsibilities of their jobs. They were trying to use the dignity and the value associated
with their job as the tool for blackmail the system. It was a radical move, be it communism or
be it capitalism, both the systems have no place for radical thoughts and acts under a business
settlement that deals with the larger public interest.
The aftermath of the ban on strike created a paradox
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
The proposal of a giant strike like Sydney railroad strike actually raises many questions
related to the dependence of the people on any given system. In the terms of the language of
labor, union terminology strikes like these are also known as an attempt to win a collective
bargain. It was estimated that this strike could have incurred the losses worth billions of
dollars. In the same vein, many trade associations also expressed their concerns connected to
the loss of public wealth because of the absence of the biggest means of the transportation
which is available in the city (Lichtenstein, 2013).
The media hype connected to the proposed strike made it even bigger. Rail officials and the
representative of the union had long negotiations on public spaces and inside the closed
cabins. Rail authorities presented many offers on the pretext of a bailout package. However,
on most of the occasions, they fail to draw consent of sorts with the authorities. In fact, many
union bodies said that these packages can promote a culture of more job cuts and siege the
rights of the unions for further protesting on the issues. In order to correct the fractured
mandate on various issues, the associations decided to conduct a ballot among them
(Clennell, 2018).
Union’s force the spirit of democracy in a system; however they should follow
democratic practices sometimes
This turnaround of the events takes us back to the golden era of labor unions when most of
the industries were moving on the wheels of giant units. It was also the time when as a
stakeholder, labor unions were playing a bigger role; the rules connected to the strikes were
lenient. A labor union follows the model of democracy, here they club together with an
intention to prevent a wrong happening that is taking place. It is a community-driven
operation where an individual acts as a community and community acts as an individual
person (Sullivan, 2018). They try to create a singular voice for the masses. Going for a
balloting exercise is a great way to fix the single voice of the masses. This ballot exercise hits
two birds with a single stone, first, it caters to the resentments of an individual if he is feeling
that he is not a part of the decision making process. The same ballot also fixes a mandate for
the group. A ballot among the union members is a good idea.
A broader movement for the working class catering to some individual needs
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
While having a look at the demands made by RTBU in the favor of the rail employees, we
find that most of their demands are simple and they can be executed. Some of their demands
are related to a change in the reporting structure. In another demand, they want postings near
their hometowns. It is justified in many ways; a rail employee spends most of his time
traveling or working at far off places. Most of the jobs are transferable in nature. Railroads
demand strong consistency in the services, this consistency holds the key to their profit. A
person traveling in rail plans his journey in accordance with the timings of the train
(McNally, 2018). A train service can never be stopped for the reasons that it does not have
enough passengers to carry. The demands can be accommodated however the methods to put
forward the demands cannot be accommodated. Stay in the system, be a part of the system.
Implications of the union’s role in this dispute for the continuing relevance of unions in contemporary
Australian society
In the recent strike, the proposal moved by the authorities of The Rail Tram and Bus union
met with criticism because of its liberal outlooks towards the owners of the business. Many
experts and members of the union believe that it was a golden shake hand that took place
between the two authorities. One of them was acting as the B team of the main team. This
distrust among the various stakeholders of the union is certainly going to weaken the strength
of the labor unions as the ultimate power behind the welfare of the working class. The surface
of this issue also gives us an idea that the core issues of the employees are well addressed.
For instance, not many things were said connected to the wage structure. They never said that
they were underpaid etc. The failure of this strike also gives us an idea that the era of
collective bargaining is over now. Based on the examples created by the other countries we
can also predict that in the future the labor unions will survive on the merit of the welfare
tasks that they will do. They will show interest in settling the small disputes between the
employees. The days of the mass revolt are over now because authorities are in no mood to
entertain them and the labor force of Australia is also not ready for it.
On a conclusive Note
Media houses came up with big propaganda like coverage of the proposed Sydney rail strike
to the extent when it became an issue of debate among the common people. The lessons of
this strike call our hard earned for everyone. It all started with a demand for a convenient and
quality life which is a right of every person, however, the same story ended on the note of a
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
conspiracy theory where the employees started suspecting about certain job cuts. Trade
unions or the labor unions should gear up for a future battle when the machines will take over
some intelligent responsibilities from the humans. The industries of the future will be robot
driven. The age-old economic principle of the appreciation and depreciation can be applied
here. This principle has a great relevance for the industries of the future. Human capital
appreciates a passage of time and brings in more liabilities to an organization. Machines, on
the other hand, depreciate with the passage of time, however, recovers their cost with the help
of consistent productivity and fewer liabilities.
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Running Head: THE ROLE OF RTBU, A TACTICAL ANALYSIS
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