New South Wales government and rail union end industrial stalemate

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A landmark agreement has been signed between the New South Wales government and rail unions. It brings an end to months of pay disputes and industrial action that has crippled Sydney’s rail network.

Transcript

00:00Rail commuters across the state tonight will be pleased to hear that this deal has finally been signed.

00:0892% of members, that's nearly 12,000 people, voted in favour of a 12% increase with back pay over three years.

00:17The Rail, Tram and Bus Union's secretary says it's also a historically high participation rate,

00:23with over 85% of union members choosing to vote.

00:27It's obviously been a very trying bargain with some very hot language used by both parties

00:34but we're really glad that we've been able to get this bargain over the line.

00:38Disruptions over the last 12 months have included more than 350 services being cancelled on a single weekend

00:45and at times up to 1,000 services being affected.

00:49Last year doubt was cast over whether Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks celebrations would even go ahead

00:55after the union threatened to bring the city's rail network to a halt.

01:00Despite the commuter chaos and time taken to reach an agreement,

01:04the transport minister was pleased with this afternoon's result.

01:08These enterprise agreements have to run through the processes,

01:11this is half the time it took to land the last agreement,

01:14but for commuters it has been a big disruption, I really want to acknowledge that.

01:18That's why this is such a welcome vote, such a great result,

01:21and it's a great result for people wanting to catch a train and enter the disruption,

01:26but it'll also allow us to lift reliability as we invest in the network.

01:30The agreement will now be submitted for formal approval with the Fair Work Commission,

01:34locking in three years of hassle-free transport for commuters.

01:39Thank you very much.

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