There are transport companies in the North West who have been getting away with murder and we are about to pull a number of them into line.
One of a number of firms in my sights is Brambles in Port Hedland. I've spoken to several of their drivers and they're not happy with what is being dished up to them.

The drivers cart fuel and copper ore to and from minesites and should be earning bigger dollars. They're working 70-80 hours a week on flat rates of $31- $32 per hour. No overtime rates, meal money, etc. The shit pay rates are part of a NON-UNION agreement that was stitched up behind our backs.

It's happening a bit too often lately! The company puts out a notice calling for nominations for some mug to be the drivers ‘Bargaining Agent' and away you go. One or two meetings and WHAKO! we've got a nice cosy deal - "told you we didn't need the nasty old union'
Of course nobody mentions that the nasty old union probably would have got them several hundred dollars per week more for their hard yakka.

That's the difference between a PROFESSIONAL OUTFIT handling negotiations and some well-intentioned AMATEUR who relies on his boss for his pay packet.
Anyway Brambles will be seeing a lot more of me and they will not be the only ones.

Boom Logistics is another firm to attract my interest. In Hedland Boom have a crane yard and a truck yard and two sets of conditions.
Employed in those yards are the haves and the have nots and you don't win a soft toy for guessing who are the have nots. The haves are the crane-drivers who are paid an $850 per week regional allowance.

Then there are the truckies who also receive a regional allowance - of $350.

Of course the crane driver and truck driver pay the same ridiculously high rents and living costs in Port Headland.

So I ask you - why does one of these workers receive an allowance that is $500 higher than the other?

I'll tell you why! Because the truckies signed a friggin NON-UNION agreement - that's why. And they got shafted.

So my job will be to undo all the stuff ups - thankfully I am a persistent person who likes a challenge.

Other companies I'm talking to include Arrowsmith and Link Low Loaders.