00:00Up to days of disruptions, things are looking significantly better on Sydney's suburban
00:06train network today. 93 per cent of services ran on time this morning. Now this is after
00:12the Fair Work Commission issued a temporary ban on the industrial action that was crippling
00:17the network. However, the State Government has warned it will take some time for things
00:23to return to normal. It says this week's work bans have created a backlog of maintenance
00:28work that could take weeks to clear. We will take some time to return full reliability
00:35to our system. That is because there is infrastructure that has not been able to be inspected or
00:43maintained as a result of these industrial bans. Commuters at Gosford on the Central
00:49Coast and Newcastle line have still experienced some delays today. Around 30 per cent of trains
00:55ran on time there and that's because critical maintenance work that was held up by these
01:00work bans in recent days couldn't take place until this afternoon. That work has taken
01:05place this afternoon so things should be running much more smoothly this evening. Now this
01:11is all due to a months-long pay dispute between the New South Government and the rail unions.
01:16The two sides have been stuck in a deadlock. The unions want a 32 per cent pay increase
01:21for rail workers over four years. The State Government's latest offer was 15 per cent
01:26over four years including an extra 1 per cent in super. The Transport Minister has confirmed
01:32there has been a development on this front. The unions in the past 24 hours have put forward
01:37a counter offer. We don't know what it was but this is what she had to say about it.
01:42Of course if the unions were to put a counter offer that moves from their 32 per cent over
01:50four year claim and is reasonable and goes to pay and conditions and responds to the
01:57Government's offer. Our offer is a very fair and reasonable one of 15 per cent over four
02:02years. It also includes a package of conditions that would see workers take home pay and their
02:09experience at work improve and is a product of the months and months of negotiation that
02:15we have undertaken in good faith. Now if the union was to come to us with a written offer
02:21that responds to the Government offer of course, of course we would meet with them and discuss
02:26it with them. Yesterday the Government issued an urgent application to the Fair Work Commission
02:32calling for it to step in and put an end to the protected industrial action that was causing
02:37delays on the network this week. The Minister says regardless of what that counter offer
02:42is and how those negotiations go, this will be going to the industrial umpire. The two
02:47sides will be meeting on Wednesday and Thursday for hearings.
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