'Rail redundancies a cruel blow to Cyclone communities' - Richie Bates

Richie Bates of the Rail Tram and Bus Union says that impending Queensland Rail redundancies threaten regional freight services. He says it shows the failings of privatisation.

A QR National proposal to slash one third of it's workforce could see a loss of small freight services and increased costs for local
consumers.

The recently privatised rail operator has targeted regional Q Link
depots such as Cairns, Innisfail and Mareeba for job losses just
months after the state government floated the company on the stock market.

"The proposed cutbacks are a cruel blow to a region already crippled by the effects of cyclone Yasi," Cairns Council of Unions Secretary and Rail Tram and Bus Union delegate Richie Bates says.

"The RTBU has long been advocating to keep these small freight centres open, they provide a valuable service to regional Queensland and ensure freight costs are kept to minimum for consumers."

"While the redundancies may be voluntary, the massive scale of this downsizing brings into question QR National's commitment to rail, and further exposes the failings of privatization."