A two-week period of intensive bargaining

As you may know, yesterday we started meeting with the unions for two weeks on matters that are common to the proposed NSW TrainLink and Sydney Trains enterprise agreements. We have been asking for an increase in the frequency of our bargaining meetings, so this is a positive step in moving towards a new EA that is tailored to the needs of our people and our business.

Yesterday, during the lunch break, the Secretary of Transport for NSW, Rob Sharp, Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland, and I met with union organisers, and confirmed a wage increase offer of 2.5% for each year of the new agreement and in line with wages policy. The 2.5% includes 2.04% increase in salary and the super contributions which came into effect since 1 July 2021.

The intense bargaining period comes after an enormous amount of work was done over the weekend by our leaders, the enterprise bargaining team and others to enable this to happen.

Unfortunately, despite our commitment to bargain intensely, there are certain protected actions that remain in place and will continue to impact on our customers.

While representatives of both Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink will be discussing common matters of interest together, our focus will continue to be on developing an EA that meets the unique needs of our people and our customers throughout NSW.

Regards
Dale