Latest news with #RTBU
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Australia slashes public service jobs to cover train drivers' pay
One in seven Transport for NSW employees will be axed in a new round of job cuts, reportedly done in order to pay for the latest wage deal with the rail union. Up to 950 senior service managers are set to lose their jobs just weeks after 300 senior executives were sacked in June. Transport Secretary Josh Murray said the cuts were part of a wider move to 'restructure the chain of command' in an email to staff on Wednesday. Mr Murray said he understood the cuts would be 'concerning' to some. 'We have to get back to a model that is sustainable for the long term, delivers on our commitments, and provides appropriate career paths for our people,' he wrote. 'That also means reducing duplication, removing unclear reporting lines, and ensuring all our people are clear on what's expected of them. Change of this scale is never easy, and it affects all our people, their work, their teams, and their sense of certainty about the future.' Opposition Transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward (pictured right) said the cuts were required due to cost blowout caused by the latest wage deal with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU). 'These are the brutal cuts that pay for the union wage deals. The people being sacked are not senior bureaucrats - they're the engine room of the department, and their mistake was not joining the RTBU,' she said in a statement. 'These decisions send a clear message: under Labor, it's union first, commuters second.' Office staff will be affected in the latest round of cuts, with no frontline roles at risk. Unions were briefed about the cuts on Wednesday morning. Over the past five years, Transport for NSW has hired an additional 3,000 workers. The latest round of cuts comes after rail workers agreed to a new pay deal with the NSW government following months of industrial action. The Electrical Trades and the Rail, Tram and Bus unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over four years, and a 35-hour working week. Their negotiations with the NSW government stalled in January, sparking a mass strike which brought the Sydney rail network to its knees after 2,500 rail services were cancelled or significantly impacted over a two day-period. More than 90 per cent of RTBU members voted to accept a 12 per cent wage increase over three years plus back pay on July 5. The deal will now progress to the Fair Work Commission for final approval. The RTBU also welcomed the move after a 'tough process'. 'It's fantastic that this long, and often bitter, dispute can finally be put behind us and that workers can get back to doing what they do best – moving commuters safely around the state,' union secretary Toby Warnes said at the time.
Perth Now
05-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Historic' update on Sydney rail strike
Rail unions have voted to accept the NSW government's pay offer, ending the bitter dispute and giving Sydneysiders a break following months-long widespread chaos on the train network. On Saturday at 4pm, 11,735 union members participated in the vote, with 92 per cent voting in favour of the government's proposed 12 per cent pay rise over the next three years. The unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over three years and a 35-hour working week, which was met by a proposed 9.5 per cent rise over the same time frame. The Electrical Trade Unions (ETU) was the only union to not back the proposed Enterprise Agreement, with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) endorsing the proposed pay increase. Rail unions have voted to accept the NSW government's pay offer. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia The agreements signals an end to the industrial action that triggered pandemonium for Sydney commuters for several months, with hundreds of services cancelled or delayed since September, leaving them stranded or crammed inside crowded carriages for hours on end. The Fair Work Commission ordered the unions halt their industrial action in February, with the order lifted from July 1. NSW Minister for Transport said the agreement would offer a sigh of relief to commuters. 'We want to acknowledge the period of protected industrial action was drawn-out and took its toll on rail passengers,' he said. 'Resolution of the matter will now allow Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to focus solely on improving reliability and services for those more than a million passengers who use the network each day. 'We will continue to invest record amounts into improved maintenance and work to our plan to lift reliability.' The bitter dispute between the unions and NSW government is coming to an end NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia Despite not reaching the initially proposed figure, the RTBU said the agreement was 'historic' and an 'epic effort' from the 'bargaining team: 'This result is a powerful demonstration of the strength, unity, and determination of RTBU members in the face of a very difficult and, at times, exhausting campaign, you stood together, and it made all the difference,' the statement read. 'Congratulations to every member who participated in actions, attended meetings, had conversations with their colleagues, stood strong, and demanded better. 'We will now move to the next steps of formal approval,' the union added.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Rail workers FINALLY end bitter pay dispute - what it means for the commute of millions of Aussies
A year of travel chaos across Australia's biggest train network caused by staff strikes is finally over. Rail workers have agreed to a new pay deal with the NSW government following months of industrial action, which caused many headaches for millions of Sydney commuters. The Electrical Trades and the Rail, Tram and Bus unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over four years, and a 35-hour working week. Their negotiations with the NSW government stalled in January, sparking a mass strike which brought the Sydney rail network to its knees after 2,500 rail services were cancelled or significantly impacted over a two day-period. More than 90 per cent of RTBU members on Saturday voted to accept a 12 per cent wage increase over three years plus back pay. The deal will now progress to the Fair Work Commission for final approval. 'We want to acknowledge the period of protected industrial action was drawn-out and took its toll on rail passengers,' NSW Transport Minister John Graham said. 'Resolution of the matter will now allow Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to focus solely on improving reliability and services for those more than a million passengers who use the network each day. Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland added: 'With this certainty, Sydney Trains can resume its focus on delivering a safe, reliable, and disruption-free service, and passengers can have renewed confidence that the trains they rely on will be there when they need them.' The RTBU also welcomed the move after a 'tough process'. 'It's fantastic that this long, and often bitter, dispute can finally be put behind us and that workers can get back to doing what they do best – moving commuters safely around the state,' union secretary Toby Warnes said.
News.com.au
05-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Historic': Sydney rail strikes end as unions vote to accept pay rise
Rail unions have voted to accept the NSW government's pay offer, ending the bitter dispute and giving Sydneysiders a break following months-long widespread chaos on the train network. On Saturday at 4pm, 11,735 union members participated in the vote, with 92 per cent voting in favour of the government's proposed 12 per cent pay rise over the next three years. The unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over three years and a 35-hour working week, which was met by a proposed 9.5 per cent rise over the same time frame. The Electrical Trade Unions (ETU) was the only union to not back the proposed Enterprise Agreement, with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) endorsing the proposed pay increase. The agreements signals an end to the industrial action that triggered pandemonium for Sydney commuters for several months, with hundreds of services cancelled or delayed since September, leaving them stranded or crammed inside crowded carriages for hours on end. The Fair Work Commission ordered the unions halt their industrial action in February, with the order lifted from July 1. NSW Minister for Transport said the agreement would offer a sigh of relief to commuters. 'We want to acknowledge the period of protected industrial action was drawn-out and took its toll on rail passengers,' he said. 'Resolution of the matter will now allow Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to focus solely on improving reliability and services for those more than a million passengers who use the network each day. 'We will continue to invest record amounts into improved maintenance and work to our plan to lift reliability.' Despite not reaching the initially proposed figure, the RTBU said the agreement was 'historic' and an 'epic effort' from the 'bargaining team: 'This result is a powerful demonstration of the strength, unity, and determination of RTBU members in the face of a very difficult and, at times, exhausting campaign, you stood together, and it made all the difference,' the statement read. 'Congratulations to every member who participated in actions, attended meetings, had conversations with their colleagues, stood strong, and demanded better. 'We will now move to the next steps of formal approval,' the union added.
The Advertiser
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Half a century of service ends as last v-set trains in the Hunter saluted into retirement
The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains. The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains. The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains. The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains.
