- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2195
Australian Miscellaneous Workers Union (AMWU) members who work as roadside assist patrol officers work around the clock in all sorts of conditions to keep NSW motorists safe and get them back on the road.
They’ve stopped work for 48 hours and marched from Sydney Town Hall to the NRMA (National Roads and Motorists’ Association) Headquarters to deliver a log of claims to incoming CEO Mike Baird, a former Liberal premier, seen recently congratulating himself for bipartisan work with ex-Queensland CEO Anna Bligh at a tax summit the two are chairing.
It’s the first time in 23 years NRMA Patrol Officers have taken industrial action. Around 139 patrol officers marched.
One officer put it bluntly, saying that NRMA “don’t want to come to the party with a pay rise.” The union is requesting 5% in the first year, and 4% in the subsequent years.
The NRMA has said that it can’t afford the pay rises, but as another officer said, the union has seen the 2024-2025 financial report and “the NRMA is making a lot of money.”
The AMWU says that patrol officers are some of the lowest paid mechanics in the state, but work across a gruelling 24/7 schedule, rail, hail or shine helping NSW motorists. The union has vowed that it won’t back away from the fight.
