Hard Yakka Removalists Demand Better Wages

• General News
• 26th June 2012

You couldn't pay me enough to work as a furniture removalist because on a degree of difficulty scale of 1 to 100 their job rates 99.9!!

Imagine humping a 10x5 slate billiard table up a spiral stair case to a second floor and you'll probably get the picture?

Or packing up Gina Rineharts priceless antiques collection for moving to her winter mansion!

So when our members at Allied Pickfords decided to claim pay rises of 10%+5%+5% in a three year deal I thought, good onya boys, you deserve every cent.

Like other removal companies in Perth, Allied Pickfords are struggling to hold onto staff.

The company's CEO Nick Cinquina and eastern state's based HR manager Nicky Arnold have even admitted they are not in a good negotiating position.

Five years ago a new, "you beaut", grading system was included in Allied's enterprise agreement.

Under that system, employees were to be regularly assessed on a range of competencies to become eligible for pay rises up to 36% on the old rates.

Assessments were meant to be done annually but the system has not operated as promised.

One removalist told me he had been with the firm 17 years and had only been assessed once.

So our members have become very disillusioned with the incentive based scheme which hasn't delivered the promised extra moolah. They now want the money up front in their pay packets.

As the wise man said, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Management are now saying they will conduct the assessments properly and have given someone the job of doing them.

Unfortunately, I think the bird has flown. Trust is a very hard commodity to get back once it is lost.

Overtime loadings is another issue that we want dealt with. We are seeking the same rates - time and a half and double time - that most transport workers get in their awards and agreements.

There's no doubt that we have got a big job ahead of us but we are determined to improve things for our members and they are pretty keen too.