Transport Workers' Union of New South Wales v Toll Transport Pty Ltd & Anor [2009] NSWIRComm 42

Industrial Court of New South Wales

CITATION: Transport Workers' Union of New South Wales v Toll Transport Pty Ltd & Anor [2009] NSWIRComm 42

APPLICANT Transport Workers' Union of New South Wales

PARTIES: FIRST RESPONDENT Toll Transport Pty Ltd

SECOND RESPONDENT Toll Holdings Pty Ltd

FILE NUMBER(S): IRC 2522 of 2005

CORAM: Staff J

CATCHWORDS: Unfair contract - Owner/drivers - Practice of selling trucks with work formalised in registered agreement - Sale of business to respondents - Representation that engagement of owner/drivers with respondent no less favourable than they had been with previous owner - Respondents refused to implement representation - Loss of goodwill component - Contracts unfair because of failure to contain terms consistent with representation made to owner/drivers - Contracts unfair because did not contain a sale of vehicle clause - Jurisdiction - Whether performance of work - Whether order could be made in respect of corporation subsequently deregistered - Contracts unfair, harsh and unconscionable - Orders made

LEGISLATION CITED: Industrial Arbitration Act 1940 Industrial Relations Act 1996

Air Great Lakes Pty Ltd v K S Easter (Holdings) Pty Ltd (1985) 2 NSWLR 309 Alliance Motor Auctions Pty Ltd v Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales (2005) 146 IR 99 Darren John Palmer v Tnt Australia Pty Ltd (Trading As Tnt Express) [1995] NSWIRComm 243; [1995] NSWIRC 24 BNY Australia Limited v James & Anor (1992) 40 IR 1 Bradib Pty Ltd v Jilly Bean Pty Ltd & Anor (No 1) (1987) 21 IR 90 Browning v Morris (1778) 2 COWP 790 Caterpillar of Australia Ltd v Gough & Gilmore Holdings Ltd (2008) 170 IR 185 Fish & Another v Solution 6 Holdings Limited (2006) 225 CLR 180 Myer Stores Limited, t/as Grace Bros v Stowart and Others (1994) 55 IR 21 CASES CITED: Myer Stores v Stowart & Ors; Darren John Palmer v TNT Australia Pty Ltd, Hungerford J, unreported, 15 March 1995 Sin Yong Yim & Tae Sik Kim v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW & Hyun Sung (Marco) Choi [2007] NSWCA 77 Sydney Water Corporation Ltd and Another v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW and Another (2004) 61 NSWLR 661 T D Preece & Co Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales & Anor [2008] NSWCA 285 Thomas Nationwide Transport Ltd (t/as "Altrans Bulk") v Thomas & Anor (1990) 34 IR 378 Transport Workers' Union (on behalf of Steve Cincotta t/as S M Cincotta Pty Ltd and others) and Visy Board Pty Ltd [2005] NSWIRComm 178 Transport Workers" Union of New South Wales (on behalf of Cruickshank Transport Pty Ltd) v Stegbar Pty Ltd [2007] NSWIRComm 244 Virtue v New South Wales Department of Education and Training (1999) 92 IR 428 Westfield Holding v Adams (2002) 114 IR 241 Zammit and Another v Trend Windows & Doors Pty Limited [2008] NSWIRComm 48