The long-running pay dispute between the NSW government and train unions, that led to months of on-off chaos for commuters, appears to have been resolved.
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.
“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,” Transport Minister John Graham said.
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.
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.
“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.
