NSW government and unions reach resolution for Sydney trains to run on NYE

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The threat to Sydney's new Years Eve fireworks has been averted, after a deal was struck between the state government and the transport union.

Transcript

00:00The NSW State Government and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union have come to an 11th hour deal

00:06to avert what the government was saying would be a crisis over the Christmas and New Year's

00:12Eve period due to rolling industrial action by the union, which was resulting in delays

00:19and cancellations on Sydney's heavy rail system.

00:23The union had written to its members late yesterday to scrap the harshest parts of that

00:28industrial action, including a rule that was limiting the kilometres that each staff

00:32member could work across on a given shift.

00:35That was being blamed for a lot of the transport delays that were going on, and it was one

00:38of the reasons that the government was expressing concerns about the New Year's Eve fireworks

00:43going ahead.

00:44The government had commenced proceedings in the Fair Work Commission prior to that announcement

00:49to attempt to essentially block all of the industrial action by the union, but in light

00:54of that cancellation, they had meetings with the union groups overnight and into the morning

01:00to come to an agreement, and they did so.

01:03The Fair Work Commission heard this morning some undertakings by the Rail, Tram and Bus

01:07Unions that essentially they wouldn't commence any new industrial action over the festive

01:11period, and that they would do whatever they can to guarantee safety and reliability of

01:16the system over that period.

01:18The union spoke outside the Fair Work Commission this morning.

01:22We call on the Minsk government to now stop talking to their lawyers and start talking

01:28to their workers.

01:30The Minsk government should be back at the bargaining table on Boxing Day, and they should

01:35be trying to get resolution for this agreement before New Year's Eve.

01:39Let's get this done.

01:40Come back to the bargaining table.

01:42We're here.

01:43We're ready.

01:44We're ready to bargain.

01:45Stop talking to your lawyers, start talking to your workers, and do better.

01:49While the union says that the government backed down by discontinuing its action in

01:53the commission, the government says that the unions backed down by discontinuing the harshest

01:57parts of its industrial action.

01:59We have absolute confidence now that we can provide the travelling public with the services

02:04that they need and that they deserve.

02:06We want business to have confidence.

02:08We want staff to be able to get to work.

02:10We want people to be able to celebrate together, and that's what we are now able to confirm.

02:16We are able to say today that passengers will be able to use public transport services

02:22to get where they need to go this Christmas, New Year's, and the Sydney test as well.

02:27These are really important events for community.

02:30These are really important events for our economy, and I'm pleased that we have confidence

02:35today that they can go ahead in the way that we had planned.

02:39While the Christmas and New Year's period has been resolved for this matter, the question

02:44that remains on the table is this underpinning pay deal between the union and the government.

02:51The union says that it's lost a lot of good faith with the government, and the government

02:56hasn't set a timeline for when those negotiations will commence.

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