FWC Outcome

Dear members,

There’s no question that the decision in the Fair Work Commission last night was disappointing. We argued against a long ‘cooling off period’ because history tells us that unless we’re taking action, then the NSW Government won’t talk with us.

We’re currently exploring our legal options, including potential appeals. In the meantime, our EA delegates are planning out ways in which we can keep the pressure on during the suspension period, industrially, legally, and politically.

But the reality is, despite the initial disappointment of the decision, it actually puts us in a good position to finally get a deal done.

While the NSW Government is attempting to frame this as a win for them, it’s very clear that it’s not.

The full bench of the Fair Work Commission’s rationale for the cooling off period was far from a recognition of the NSW Government’s negotiation skills. To the contrary, much of the day was spent interrogating just how unreasonable the NSW Government has been.

As a result, rather than spending their days spurting untruths in the media, inflating sick leave figures, disrespecting workers and exaggerating the impact of actions on our railways, they’ll now actually have to sit down and speak with us – which is exactly what we’ve always wanted.

All of our actions have been designed to get them back to the negotiating table. While this may not be the path we planned to take, the reality is that now they have to come back.

There is a risk that the cooling off period until 1 July 2025 could mean that the government will resist coming back to the table and talking to us until the very last minute, as they’ve done in the past.

But we will do everything possible to ensure that doesn’t happen.

We’ve already offered publicly to sit down and negotiate with the government as early as today. We’ve always said we’ll work through the day and night to get an agreement that provides rail workers with the fair wages and conditions we deserve. That commitment hasn’t changed.

The past few weeks in particular have been difficult for many RTBU members, thanks to the NSW Government’s decision to whip up anti-worker sentiment. But throughout it all, members have stayed strong and united.

It’s that commitment and unity that will get us a fair enterprise agreement in the end.

As always, stay tuned for more information and speak to your delegate of the RTBU office if you have any questions or concerns.

Bargaining for a new enterprise agreement is always tough – especially when you’re bargaining with a recalcitrant government. But RTBU members have proven time and again that we are tougher.