Following the Federal Government passing the Fairer Fuel bill to fast-track emergency applications in road transport, the TWU and peak transport employer body ARTIO (and support by the NRFA) have applied to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for an emergency order to assist drivers and transport operators with crippling fuel costs.
The parties have also written to the Workplace Relations Minister urging her to invoke new powers under the changes passed this week to determine this an emergency application and expedite the process in the FWC, with many drivers and transport operators now at crisis point.
With common payment terms in the industry 3 weeks from the beginning of the month, orders are critical before 21 April when owner drivers and transport operators will be facing fuel bills up to tens of thousands of dollars higher than usual, which would push their businesses off a cliff and create huge supply chain issues.
The application will call for transport clients-retailers, manufacturers and mining companies-to conduct weekly fuel reviews pinned to prices as published by the Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP), and for these costs to be paid by clients and passed down through the whole supply chain.
Consultation will be undertaken across the industry, and FWC orders expedited if approved under the new emergency powers.
There is no time to delay these orders, with an imminent risk of widespread business closures and increasing financial pressure on drivers to rush and delay vehicle maintenance without urgent action.
Already this year, 42 people have died in truck crashes on Australian roads, including 12 truck drivers, and transport company liquidations have shot up 48% from the last year.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said:
"The transport industry has acted quickly in the face of a dire situation for owner drivers and trucking businesses right across the country. We commend the Federal Government in passing these changes and are wasting no time applying for an urgent order to make sure we keep drivers safe, trucking businesses open and our supply chains ongoing.
"Under new changes quickly passed by the Federal Government, we could soon see a Fair Work Commission emergency order requiring the top of the supply chain to respond to even sharp fluctuations in fuel price on an ongoing basis and flex up or down as the situation develops. This will put the onus on transport clients to pass funding for fuel costs fairly down the supply chain instead of drivers and operators having to solely absorb them."
ARTIO National Secretary Peter Anderson said:
"The changes this week to allow the Fair Work Commission to make urgent orders in emergency situations is the best hope our industry has for ongoing, effective fuel cost relief. Even large transport businesses are right now under significant strain, in turn putting the efficiency of our national supply chains at risk. Fuel costs are changing by the hour - seeing at least weekly reviews pinned to the AIP will critical to ensuring transport businesses can weather this crisis and come out the other side."
NRFA President Glyn Castanelli said:
"It is clear that without clients paying their fair share for rising fuel costs, owner drivers and transport operators will simply not be able to pay their fuel bills and be forced to shut up shop. This application is urgent to stop widespread business closures, to keep our supply chains running, and to lift the burden of skyrocketing fuel prices from the bottom of the chain to the top."
