Latest news with #industrialaction
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Intense' discussions, ‘complex negotiations' sparked NSW government's deal with rail unions after lengthy dispute
A 'complex negotiation process' and 'intense' discussions paved the way for a deal between the NSW government and rail unions, which could improve the response to disruptions similar to last week's live wire train chaos. The government and unions on Friday agreed in the Fair Work Commission to a 12 per cent pay rise over three years. The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union and the Electrical Trades Union had been seeking a 32 per cent pay rise over four years, while the government offered a 9.5 per cent rise over three years. The dispute led to a series of industrial action, that disrupted travel for millions since last September. The deal ends protected industrial action by the Combined Rail Unions and allows Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to focus on improving reliability across the network, the government said in a statement on Friday. NSW Transport Minister John Graham said there had been 'intense' discussions with the rail unions in the lead up to the deal. 'We have had good, if intense discussions with the rail unions,' Mr Graham said at a press conference on Saturday. 'We're in a position to lift pay and conditions of rail workers, but also deliver to the public.' A number of the changes in the new agreement could make a real difference in the response to disruptions such as last week's incident where a live wire fell on top of a train in Strathfield. This includes consultation clauses and the roll out of new technology across the network that 'just simply isn't in place'. 'It gives the hope that should something like this happen again, right in the dead centre of the network — the worst place possible — the ability to recover the train network way more rapidly would be there now,' Mr Graham said. 'That would make a big difference to our ability to deal with disruptions on the network.' He added routine maintenance would be easier without constant industrial action. Sydney Trains chief executive officer Matt Longland called the deal an important milestone following a 'complex negotiation process'. 'We've got to a position that we've worked through, and we now have approval in principle to take that package to our staff,' Mr Longland said. 'Although that's great news for our people, it's also really positive news for passengers.' The rail network is being modernised, Mr Longland said, including by way of new technology and moving away from manual processes. 'I acknowledge it's been a challenging period for passengers who've been regularly disrupted, not only through industrial action, but also incidents across the rail network,' he said. 'This now gives us the reset we need to work with our people to stabilise performance and invest in the rail network to improve performance in the future.' ETU expected to reject deal However, the ETU is expected to reject the deal. 'This afternoon, the Combined Rail Unions (CRU) reached an in-principle agreement with Sydney Trains and NSW Trains for a new enterprise agreement,' the CRU said on Friday. 'Unfortunately, the ETU is blocking a vote by members effectively withholding any pay rise or new conditions that our EA delegates have fought so hard for. 'The reason they are blocking a vote is due to a misconceived claim to create a 'new section' for their members, for a purpose nobody understands.' The proposed Enterprise Agreement, facilitated by the Fair Work Commission, delivers rail workers a 12 per cent pay rise over three years plus back pay. It will deliver agreement on a number of technology-based solutions to improve recovery times when incidents on the tracks bring the system to a halt. For example, train crews will support the introduction of a new digital disruption management system that will end the current practice that relies on a manual system of phone calls and paper-based instructions during recovery from an incident. The unions and government have also reached agreement to move to a streamlined process for consulting on new fleet, systems and infrastructure projects.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Durham University staff vote for more strike action
Staff at Durham University have voted to take further industrial action in an ongoing row over job cuts. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) have announced plans for three additional walkouts in UCU said it followed what it described as management's rejection of its recent offer to pause strike action if "no compulsory redundancies could be guaranteed until the end of the calendar year".Durham University called the move "unnecessary", insisting there were "no current plans for redundancies". The strikes will take place on 13, 14 and 19 June. 'Needless hostility' Earlier this year, UCU members at Durham overwhelmingly backed industrial action in opposition to the university's plans to slash millions of pounds from its budget, putting 200 jobs at union said the cuts were targeting professional services and support staff who provide the backbone infrastructure that allowed the facility to run general secretary Jo Grady accused the university of "needless hostility" over its refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. She said staff had already made "huge sacrifices to deliver the vast majority of savings through voluntary means". "All that remains is a small gap that could easily be managed without threatening jobs, but instead of offering reassurance management has chosen provocation."Our members will not stand by while livelihoods hang in the balance and the ball is now in the university's court." A Durham University spokesperson said the action was "unnecessary". "We have tried strenuously to ensure financial savings can be made through voluntary means," they said."Durham UCU know there are no current plans for redundancies and we will continue to work constructively with our four trade unions to ensure the university's financial sustainability."They added any examinations would not be affected by the proposed strike dates and students would be kept updated on any important developments. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Commuters breathe a sigh of relief as rail union finally agrees to pay deal
An industrial battle that has at times brought Australia's largest rail network to a halt is finally over. The NSW government and the state's rail union struck a deal in the Fair Work Commission late on Friday, with commuters set to be spared further industrial action that has plagued the network for almost a year. The deal gets the rail workers a 12 per cent pay rise over three years, with back pay also included. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union had initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over four years and a 35-hour working week, while the government had offered a 15 per cent figure over the same time frame. Transport Minister John Graham claimed the result as a win for his government, labelling it a 'fair and reasonable' wage rise they had promised to deliver. 'This agreement will bring relief to the disruption from protected industrial action that a million daily rail commuters have been forced to endure while just trying to get to work and get around,' he said. 'This process has strained the patience of train passengers ... this much-needed reset allows us to implement improvements for passengers with the full support of the rail workforce and unions.' The government said the deal delivered technological improvements that would boost recovery times when on-track incidents affected the operation of the system. 'For example, train crews will support the introduction of a new digital disruption management system that will end the current practice that relies on a manual system of phone calls and paper-based instructions during recovery from an incident,' a government statement read. After a number of industrial actions forced mass train delays and cancellations, the Fair Work Commission suspended the union from taking any more until July 1 before the agreement was struck on Friday. Tension between the parties had increasingly grown, with former transport minister Jo Haylen repeatedly likening the RTBU to a boa constrictor for its ability to 'strangle' and 'squeeze the life out of the network'.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Travelling to Europe this summer? Planned strikes may cause disruption
Transport workers in France, Italy, and the UK are planning industrial action in the coming weeks, potentially disrupting summer travel. In France, SNCF train drivers will strike on June 4, followed by a national strike involving rail staff on June 5 and train controllers on June 11, likely causing cancellations and disruptions to rail services. Italy faces numerous localised transport strikes throughout June and July, affecting public transport in cities like Genoa, Sardinia, Florence, Bolzano, La Spezia, Naples, and Milan, as well as airport staff in Venice and Milan. In the UK, Glasgow and Edinburgh airport staff are threatening strikes over a rejected pay offer, while London Heathrow's Wilson James workers are already striking over pay, and CrossCountry train workers will begin an overtime ban on June 9. Passengers affected by flight cancellations due to strikes are entitled to alternative transportation and accommodation, but rail and ferry passengers have fewer rights.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Relief for ‘a million daily commuters' as NSW government and rail unions reach pay deal after months at odds
The New South Wales government has reached an agreement with the rail unions, ending months of negotiations and industrial action. The proposed enterprise agreement will see about 13,000 rail workers receive a 12% pay increase over three years, plus back pay. 'This agreement will bring relief to the disruption from protected industrial action that a million daily rail commuters have been forced to endure while just trying to get to work and get around,' the NSW transport minister, John Graham said in a statement on Friday. The agreement also includes technology-based solutions to improve recovery times when there are incidents on the tracks, including a new digital disruption management system that will replace the manual phone call system. There will be a mechanism for the union to progressively escalate to subject matter experts if there are safety concerns related to a new project. The NSW government said on Friday that the combined rail unions have agreed to support the rollout and other changes to reduce time lost to delays. 'This process has strained the patience of train passengers but in finalising this deal we have made a very important investment in reliability. 'This much-needed reset allows us to implement improvements for passengers with the full support of the rail workforce and unions. The agreement, if commenced after a successful ballot of employees, will bring to an about a year of negotiations and work stoppages since the last agreement lapsed in May 2024. The NSW government said one outstanding clause remains that the ETU does not support, and the Fair Work Commission is working to resolve, but said it does not affect the agreement with the combined rail unions. The unions had sought a 32% pay rise over four years, compared with the government's starting offer of 9.5% over three years. The 12% offer was first made in February. According to Transport for NSW, an average Sydney Trains driver earns about $128,000 a year– factoring in common overtime and allowances – while a guard on the network earns about $115,000. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union counters that the average base salary for a Sydney Trains driver is just over $78,000. The latest data from the ABS, released in August 2024, puts median earnings at $72,592 a year.
