The in-principle agreement with the government will see rail unions end the protected industrial action that caused delays for commuters. Photo: NSW Department of Transport.
The NSW Government and the Combined Rail Unions (CRU) have reached an in-principle agreement in the Fair Work Commission on the terms of a new enterprise agreement.
The agreement will bring an end to the unions’ ongoing protected industrial action, which disrupted Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink services.
Under the deal, rail workers will receive a 16 per cent pay rise comprising a 4 per cent rise in each of the next three years, plus pay equivalent to 4 per cent backdated to May 2024.
It will also deliver technology-based solutions designed to improve recovery times when incidents bring the rail system to a halt. Train crews will support the introduction of a new digital disruption management system that will end the current practice, which relies on a manual system of phone calls and paper-based instructions during recovery from an incident.
The agreement will also see unions and the government streamline the process for consulting on new fleet, systems and infrastructure projects by providing a mechanism for unions to progressively escalate to subject matter experts if there are safety concerns.
During the life of the agreement, Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink will be merged into a single entity, and the CRU has agreed to reductions in duplication but ensuring the maintenance of frontline services on trains and regional stations remains at current levels.
The draft agreement will now be taken back to workers by the CRU to vote on.
Minister for Transport John Graham said the agreement would bring relief to the disruption from protected industrial action.
“This process has strained the patience of train passengers, but in finalising this deal we have made a very important investment in reliability,” he said.
“This much-needed reset allows us to implement improvements for passengers with the full support of the rail workforce and unions.
“We said we would sign off on a fair and reasonable wage rise for our rail workers that protects taxpayers’ money, and that is exactly what we have done. I want to thank the commuting public for their patience as we got this agreement done.”
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the agreement was a positive result for rail workers and commuters.
“Rail workers will benefit from a fair wage increase, commuters will have greater certainty, and our city will be better off,” he said.
“Sydney is a global city, and our public transport system should reflect that. This agreement will ensure our rail network can keep moving forward.”
