EA update: significant progress achieved; more work ahead
Yesterday we made significant progress toward reaching agreement with Sydney and NSW Trains.
To refresh your memory, since the Fair Work Commission suspended our industrial action on 19 February, Transport for NSW bureaucrats – backed by law firm Kingston Reid – walked back a majority of claims they had agreed to over the course of the preceding six months of bargaining. It is clear that within those two organisations, there are bad actors that only have their own interests on their mind.
Since then, progress has been slow, but also steady, as we lock in the conditions members took action for – and won – during this bargain. We never should have had to go through this process, but our EA delegates have worked so hard to make it work, and it’s starting to pay off.
Yesterday, your EA delegates fronted the Commission again, anticipating another slow day. However, attitudes had changed and things we’d been arguing about for months all of a sudden were agreed.
The best example of the progress made yesterday is the first item we locked in – being the ability to accrue 12 public holidays – a claim won during bargaining – but walked back in this process. We’ve been arguing about this seemingly uncontroversial issue for months, then first thing yesterday, all of a sudden, it was fixed.
The items continued to be locked in:
- Overtime paid on the day for Section 4
- A process to restore garrisons and other safe places on stations
- Further rights for Transport Officers
- Training and risk registers for asbestos and silica
- Establishing a shunter classification in Fleet
- No financial disadvantage for Train Crew for cancelled, altered, or reallocated schedules or diagrams
- Improved process for critical incident leave
Unfortunately, despite us pushing for further meetings next week, the rail entities refused to commit to further days in the Commission to continue to lock in our conditions for the new agreement.
We are pushing for a meeting with Government next week to try and finalise a position on wages.
Our EA delegates have been dedicated and diligent working through this process and deserve all our admiration and praise. They will no doubt continue to push hard to finalise the agreement we all deserve. Remember to reach out to them if you need any further information.