Benefits for everyone

In addition to the minimum wage increase, the new Enterprise Agreement includes many other benefits that will improve working life for Sydney Trains employees by:

• Providing better support for our people
• Managing employee health at work
• Keeping our employees safe
• Helping our employees manage work/life balance
• Improving our processes
• Providing career certainty.

Providing better support for our people

A range of improvements to support parents, carers and families, including:

• Compassionate/bereavement leave increased from 2 to 5 days per occurrence
• Employees who have 40 weeks continuous service will have access to 14 weeks paid parental leavefor parents with responsibility for the child.
  • For a child born or adopted prior to 1 October 2022, the Employee who does not have primary responsibility at the time of birth can take 2 weeks paid leave concurrently at the time of birth and a further 12 weeks when the employee assumes primary responsibility. All paid leave must be taken within 12 months of birth or adoption.
  • For a child born, adoption or placed on or after 1 October 2022 both parents can have responsibility for the child at the same time and can take concurrent paid leave. Paid leave must be taken within 24 months of birth, adoption or placement.
• Paid special pre-term birth leave for the parent with the caring responsibility from the date of birth up to the end of 36 weeks old.
• Up to 5 days special leave where an employee or their partner has a miscarriage.
• Recognition of surrogacy and, from 1 October 2022, permanent out of home care arrangements for parental leave purposes.
• New Fertility Treatment Leave of up to 5 days per year for employees undergoing Intrauterine insemination (IUI), In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
• A new breastfeeding breaks clause in the EA, including the provision of paid breastfeeding breaks, flexibility, and support for employees who use the breaks and a commitment to provide safe and comfortable breastfeeding facilities.
• Clearer entitlements in the carer’s leave clause
• Recognition of Aboriginal Kinship structures as a relative
• More detailed provisions around support for employees who are victims of Domestic and Family Violence.

Managing employee health at work

Benefits to support physical and mental health at work, including:

• Recognition of mental health as a key issue and identifying ongoing improvements and awareness of these issues
• A new clause addressing the prevention of workplace sexual harassment, including detailed provisions on the support available for individuals experiencing or witnessing workplace sexual harassment.
• Improvements to employee assistance following a Critical Incident, including more detailed provisions on direct and indirect exposure to incidents and the level of support provided to employees.
• Improvements to the Medical Retirement Procedure, to provide a greater focus on assisting with redeployment where possible.
• A new follow up medical clause regarding attendance at follow up medical appointments for employees who are off roster, and a clause dealing with payment arrangements for self identification of a condition covered by the National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers.
• Improved conditions regarding specialty PPE, including prescription eyewear, for safety purposes

Keeping our employees safe

• Proposed changes to the WHS clause, focused on clarifying safety obligations in the workplace.
• A new clause addressing the prevention of workplace sexual harassment, including detailed provisions on the support available for individuals experiencing or witnessing workplace sexual harassment.
• A proposed new clause giving unions the opportunity to be involved in Risk Assessments related to significant changes to rolling stock (including procurement), or a significant alteration to rail infrastructure.

Helping our employees manage work/life balance

A fairer, more consistent approach to rostering, to help employees manage their work/life balance, including:

• New rostering arrangements are being developed in specific areas of the organisations that do not currently have dedicated rostering arrangements.
• The Accrued Day Off (ADO) clause has also been updated to specify that requests to clear ADOs in a block will not be unreasonably refused, subject to genuine business and operational requirements.

Improvements to the disciplinary process

• Introduction of a Fair Decision Framework developed to better manage the way discipline matters are handled.
• A new clause providing increased transparency to employees subject to an investigation including access to the redacted investigation report, consideration of alternate working arrangements prior to a decision of suspension and the provision of explanations about reasons for suspension.
• A new clause detailing that when an employee is off duty at the initiative of the Employer, they will be paid the average of their last 6 months worked, rather than master roster for some employees.

Providing career certainty

• No loss of permanency for permanent employees appointed to a temporary role for less than 24 months and conversion to permanent employment after 24 months for temporary employees.
• For employer-initiated transfer of functions to Transport for NSW, employees will retain entitlements.
• Recognition that institutional knowledge, skills, and education of long-term employees is an asset to the organisation
• Greater promotion and recognition of professional engineering accreditations.