Why I Will Be Unemployed Come July 4th....
MY INDEPENDANCE DAY!!!
A couple of years ago, the State Government started talking about taking measures to save the state a few dollars. One way to save a few bucks was to look at the possibility of privatising the bus service provided by Metrobus. Before we look at what has passed, a little history is perhaps appropriate.
The Metropolitan (Perth) Transport Trust was formed in 1958 when the then government took action to rescue the public transport system that serviced Perth. There were a number of smaller companies that provided coverage but they were not having a real good time of it. The population of Perth was not huge, and it was spread out over alot of acres, consequently, the service operators spent alot of time and miles and $ travelling with less passengers that could support the company. The MTT was created by an Act of Parliment, and proceeded to take these ailing companies under its domain, the timetables were co ordinated, fares were standardised, and the fleet was also standardised to the point the whole bus service was operating smoothly, and more economically.
In 1994, we were told that the MTT cost more than it should to run. The Minister for Transport started to use the word 'privatisation' in his vocabulary, and this was waved at the bosses within the MTT. They were told, if you dont improve your efficiencies, you will be privatised. We undertook major shakedowns to get rid of the 'fat' from the administration section and to improve methods and procedures used in the support of buses and of bus operators (read bus drivers....though bus operators came into being when we got rid of conductors off the buses 'cos we werent just drivers any more, we took revenue as well) We were told, if you can save $29 million, then we will leave you alone. We saved pretty close to that anount, but the Minister said, well, we are going to privatise part of you anyway.
That was 18 months ago. We have been strung along thinking that if we did the right thing, that the government would as well. Yes, you are right, how could grown men have been so naive? We even sent teams across to the Eastern States and to New Zealand, where privatisation was in progress. We brought back tales of reduced passenger satisfaction, unhappy staff, less reliable buses and other things that suggested that a PUBLIC SERVICE should stay as a PUBLIC SERVICE.
But back to the MTT, which by now had the much fancier name of Metrobus....same horse, same jockey, different silks. We had to tender for our own running. We lost 40% of our services, and 4 depots to private operators, even though it has been reliably informed, that our tenders were better than a couple of the eventual 'preferred' tenderers. Four weeks ago, we found that the last of our services was being tendered out, and that metrobus was NOT going to tender, because the damn government had advised the managers of Metrobus, that the government had decided it did not wish to have any active participation in bus services in Perth.
This is just so much bullshit that it defies belief. I BELIEVE that the government NEVER had any intention of allowing Metrobus to win any tenders. I BELIEVE that the Minister for Transport is a liar and that he strung along the Opposition, the senior management of Metrobus, the general public and the bus operators of Metrobus.
The sad thing is, nothing will be saved. Nothing has changed since 1958 when private service providers could not run at a profit. Perth has expanded further, the population is even less dense than in '58. Buses have to travel further than ever, and the dead running is enormous! Profit is the motive for private service providers...profit, and the government it has turned out, has GUARANTEED these new companies a profit margin. They have a government funded discreet monopoly. I dont believe that the actions taken to arrive at this have any root in 'saving' the people of Western Australia a few dollars. I BELIEVE if the books were opened, and an investigation carried out, there would be people going to jail. People that have corrupted the system for their own political and monetary benefit.
Time will tell, in 20 years, if not sooner, the then government will have to buy out the private service providers in order to provide some semblance of a reliable public transport system. The MTT was judged the BEST public transport service in Australia by Choice magazine 4 or 5 years ago. I'd like to see Choice do another survey in 12 months.
Because in another 7 months, Metrobus will become a memory as the remainder of our running is GIVEN to a private provider or providers. Seven hundred and fifty Bus Operators will be displaced. Some will go across to the privates, some will take a cash payout and leave to retire early or perhaps get another job. The remainder, and it has been conservatively guesstimated that about 500 will go to the Department of Redeployment where the staff there will try to find them a job with another department. There are approximately 300 people on their books at this time as a result of downsizing in other departments. There will be about another 1,000 people dropping into their office as a result of downsizing from the Main Roads Dept at about the same time as Metrobus winds up.
And they ALL still get paid their last substantive pay rate, which for bus operators, is more than $600 a week. 500 multiplied by $640 per week, is $320,000 PER WEEK!!!! Most of these guys are going to be sitting at home watching the soapies, or fishing or building a yacht because there are NO JOBS FOR BUS DRIVERS in the state public service.
This exercise is going to cost the government heaps, unless they legislate to discard all these people from the government payroll.
That would be the work of amoral politicians ........ hmmmmm ....... think I will take a redundancy.
We deserve the politicians we get, but there has to be a limit. Guess this comes of making a cocky the Minister for Transport, and a fish and chip shop owner, State Premier. Talk about out of the pan and into the fire.
This page is the personal opinion, decorated with a bit of recorded history and a bit of psychic prediction, of me, Tony. I would never be the one to say, 'I told you so', but sadly this page will be a record. It will always be here, attached to my website.
To all my soon to be ex-workmates, I wish you all the very best of luck.
tony :)
1st of March 1998