Re: Sale of Vline freight

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Maurie Daly wrote in message ...
>Does anyone know for certain exactly what is being sold / leased or
whatever
>in this deal.
>I am particulary interested in whether the sale includes the existing lines
>operated by Vline freight which arnt in Victoria.
>ie can the Victorian Govt sell / lease something it doesnt own , but is
simply
>the operator.
>Also does the sale include the existing staff, ie drivers , signallers ,
train
>controllers etc, or is it simply an infrastructure sale?
>
>cheers
>MD
>
Gidday Maurie,
                           as you might know I am A Wodonga based Engineman
with V/Line Freight. We are told
by Local management that the VicTrack segment will remain with the
Government , but a 15 year renewable lease will be part of the V/Line
Freight sell-off. With the renewable option the sucessfull tenderer will
have 45 years guaranteed!  Now we have heard from Melbourne that the
prefferred applicant is unwilling to take V/Line Freight without the Track
outright. So some fiddling may yet occur.
Special guarantees are in place to ensure V/Line Pass  and outher operators
are not disadvantaged!
                            Existing Staff ,according to our so called
Minister for Transport are guaranteed a two year "moratorium" on alterations
to conditions and wages and will be sold off with the Railway.
                            We all hope that this will avoid the shocking
destruction of our way of life, such has happened in South australia and
Tasmania, where low wages, twelve hour days and trips away from home up to 5
days are the norm.  It should be noted that Wodonga Depot, under Kennett has
been run down from 45 men to 7 men, and we handle about 90% of the jobs
still....by means of driver only and extended hours! As an example the thee
pilots a day now run as two 9.5 hour shifts. And these shifts
work continuosly! Today for instance, I took a cup of coffee to the Engine
at 6.10 am, changed from SG
to BG and back 3 times, carried the cup till 1.30 pm with no chance to fill
it or put it back in my bag! With the new
Interstate sharing agreement between Freight Rail and V/Line we have to
transfer wagons from Albury to Bandianna and back to Albury each day. Some
vehicles from Melbourne via Uncle Bens to Bandianna, transhipped to NSW
flats and over to Albury...etc etc. Looks like I will have to start taking
the billy to work again. Mind you I am not complaining, because the more
work I have to do, the more reason the new owner has to keep us on at
Wodonga.

Cheers

Rod
 Freight Victoria is the bet [4:1]  Hope Marinus does as good as he did last
time, and he had a good
empathy with his Staff, all the way to the bottom.