NSW rail workers agree to pay deal

Sydney and NSW Trains workers have voted to accept an enterprise agreement, their union says.

Transport Sydney Trains

Ther bitter dispute between transport unions and the NSW government has come to an end. Source: AAP

Sydney train workers have accepted a pay deal, ending months of bitter industrial negotiations which almost culminated in a 24-hour strike.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said on Saturday that workers had narrowly voted in favour of the latest enterprise agreement put to them by NSW and Sydney Trains management.

Just over 52 per cent of Sydney Trains workers accepted the pay deal, while 50.8 per cent of NSW Trains workers voted in favour of it, according to the RTBU.

Union Secretary Alex Claassens said the tight result was evidence that a lot of the work force was still "very unhappy" with the offer.

"This is far from a sign that workers are happy with the way the transport minister is managing our transport system," Mr Claassens said in a statement.

Unions and management have spent the past month meeting with workers across the state to formally present and discuss the offer.

The package includes a three per cent annual pay rise for three years, a $1000 one-off payment and free bus travel.

The agreement will now go to the Fair Work Commission, according to the union.

Mr Claassens said Transport Minister Andrew Constance still had a lot of work to do to gain the confidence of rail workers.

"The transport minister should be looking at this result and asking himself what he's going to do to fix this mess he's got himself into," he said.

Mr Constance has been contacted for comment.


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Source: AAP



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