Corrigan ‘ramping up tension’ ahead of rail talks: union

<p>Patrick chief Chris Corrigan is causing tension in the lead up to enterprise bargaining negotiations at Pacific National, Rail Tram and Bus Union national secretary Roger Jowett has claimed.</p> <p>Mr Corrigan told a meeting of US investors in New York last week that the union is trying to block job cuts.</p> <p>Mr Jowett said the comments contradicted a recent a mini-enterprise agreement for former FreightCorp workers and "ramped up the tension" for the major negotiations for a Pacific National EBA, due to start in November.</p> <p>Despite the three-year job security guarantee the New South Wales Government has paid for, Mr Corrigan is now "setting out a mid-term agenda", Mr Jowett said.</p> <p>The union is also annoyed at Mr Corrigan’s claims of poor productivity.</p> <p>In the five years from 1996, rail freight charges for grain to port in NSW fell 22% in real terms and coal fell 52%, Mr Jowett said.</p> <p>"Major broking reports already indicate that Pacific National is making profits above expectations because the separate Patrick and Toll rail operations have been integrated into Pacific National, and it has had higher grain and container volumes," he said.</p> <br />