<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> Almost 95% of Queensland train crew and transport operations employees at rail operator Aurizon have voted against the proposed new Enterprise Agreement. </span> <p>Just 77 of the 1466 employees who voted earlier this month on Aurizon’s Train Crew and Transport Operations Enterprise Agreement were in favour of it, while the other 1389 were against it.<br /><br />Another enterprise agreement, the Construction and Maintenance Enterprise Agreement, won just 16% of the vote in favour, while 1064 of the 1270 workers in question voted against it.<br /><br />Aurizon’s Staff Enterprise Agreement squeaked through, earning 52% of the vote in favour, but the other two agreements are still up in the air, with the rail operator and its employees at an impasse.<br /><br />“The approval of the Staff agreement demonstrates employee support for more modern EAs that provide flexibility to improve our service to our customers,” Aurizon’s executive vice president of human resources John Stephens said.<br /><br />Aurizon will now formally lodge the Staff agreement with the Fair Work Commission and approximately 1400 employees will receive a 4% pay increase seven days after approval, Stephens said.<br /><br />“It is disappointing that the remaining two EAs were not voted up, particularly because we are not seeking any conditions that our competitors generally don’t have already and, at the same, we’re proposing a 4% per annum wage increase for our employees.<br /><br />“The fact is that rail unions in Queensland this year have signed similar agreements with our competitors, however, unions have consistently made it clear they would not agree on key conditions in the Aurizon proposals.”<br /><br />Stephens said Aurizon would continue with its application to the Fair Work Commission to terminate the relevant existing Queensland-based EAs. The application will be heard by the Commission next month.<br /><br />“While Aurizon will always be prepared to continue negotiations if sought by unions, the Company will continue its focus on the FWC Full Bench proceedings seeking the cancellation of existing agreements, as the future competitiveness of our operations depends on achieving a level playing field with other rail operators,” he said.<br /><br />Aurizon has been bargaining with union representatives since April 2013, but says “no meaningful progress towards the agreement of new EAs has been achieved.”<br /><br />The company reached an agreement on a new enterprise agreement for coal drivers in NSW in February, and says it substantially progressed two agreements in Western Australia in recent weeks.</p>
