Latest news with #railworkers
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'.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
NSW rail unions strike 12 per cent pay rise over three years plus back pay in deal with NSW government
The train unions have struck a pay rise for workers in what the NSW government says will bring an end to the industrial dispute that has crippled the network. Under the agreement, facilitated by the Fair Work Commission, rail workers are set to get "a 12 per cent pay rise over three years plus back pay". Minister for Transport John Graham acknowledged that the protracted and stop-start negotiations had caused disruption and put a strain on commuters, but said what had been agreed upon was "fair and reasonable". "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 in a statement on Friday evening. "This much-needed reset allows us to implement improvements for passengers with the full support of the rail workforce and unions."
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.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Further Hull Trains rail strike over sacked driver dispute
Train services to and from Hull on Friday have been been disrupted because of a strike by drivers in a long-running dispute over the sacking of a of Aslef at Hull Trains have walked out again, leading to several services being cancelled, including between Hull and London Kings union has claimed a driver was unfairly sacked for raising a safety concern, which the company denied.A Hull Trains spokesperson said the firm was "sorry for the short-notice disruption to Hull Trains services". "While the majority of our services will continue to run, a number have been cancelled," the spokesperson added."This follows a pattern of suspended strike notices from the union, with no suspension notice issued on this occasion."Customers with affected tickets can use alternative Hull Trains services or buy tickets with other operators and claim a refund via our customer service team." 'Moral issue' Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said that Hull Trains had "behaved deplorably"."The company's failure to act responsibly has enormous implications not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but for staff and passengers right across the wider rail network," he said."This is a moral issue because we have a culture on the railway designed to keep everyone safe."Anyone who works on the railway should be able to report a safety concern without fearing they will be penalised, punished, or lose their livelihood. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Bloomberg
18-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
NJ Transit Makes Deal With Engineers, Ending Three-Day Strike
By New Jersey Transit and its locomotive engineers reached an agreement on a new contract, ending a three-day transit strike that disrupted train services for thousands of riders. The pact ends the first railroad strike for the transit system in more than 40 years. The rail workers had walked off early Friday morning, forcing riders to find other modes of travel into New York City or to work remotely. All 12 of NJ Transit's commuter rail lines were shuttered, though the system's buses and light-rail service continued to operate.
