Transport union likely to engage in further industrial action

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Unions say the government's newly unveiled pay offer to rail workers is likely to be rejected when it goes to a vote. The government's still offering less than half what unions are demanding and industrial action is set to continue tomorrow.

Transcript

00:00After months of industrial action and uncertainty for commuters, the Government has an offer

00:07it hopes could end it all.

00:09An offer is being made to the Sydney trains workforce, an offer that is a fair and reasonable

00:17one.

00:18The Government's offering 15 per cent over four years, that includes a 1 per cent superannuation

00:23increase and 1 per cent found through cost savings, mostly by merging regional provider

00:28NSW trains with Sydney trains and making staff redundant.

00:33I think the approximation from the Government is about 103 jobs.

00:38The jobs which are going to be sacrificed in relation to that will be regional jobs.

00:43But the 15 per cent is less than half the 32 per cent that unions have been demanding

00:48and the RTBU doesn't think its members will back the offer.

00:52I would imagine very unlikely at this stage but as I said we haven't seen the detail yet.

00:57While the Government and unions have made some progress, it hasn't been enough to avert

01:01another three days of industrial action starting tomorrow.

01:06Train crews will drive 23km an hour slower than the speed limit, but only when that limit

01:11is 80 or higher.

01:13We don't anticipate large impacts, trains will be running slower, we have no doubt about

01:17that, but people will still be able to get from point A to point B.

01:20We will no longer accept partial work from our staff, for staff that are coming to work

01:26we expect them to undertake their normal duties or they won't be coming to work and they won't

01:31be paid.

01:32The Government wants the offer put to a vote within the next few weeks.

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