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Commuters throughout NSW can finally relax as the state government and the rail unions have reached a wage agreement, bringing an end to the ongoing conflict that often disrupted train services.
This afternoon, both sides came to terms at the Fair Work Commission, agreeing on a 12 percent salary increase over three years for rail workers.
Although this increase surpasses the government’s original proposal of 9.5 percent, it significantly falls short of the 32 percent over four years that the unions had demanded, leading to dissatisfaction from the Electrical Trades Union.
“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,” NSW Transport Minister John Graham said in a statement.
“This much-needed reset allows us to implement improvements for passengers with the full support of the rail workforce and unions.”
The agreement will put an end to the bitter negotiations and strikes that caused major disruptions to the Sydney rail network and at one point even threatened to lead to the cancellation of the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks.
