The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) on Friday accused the government of being unwilling to negotiate; however, Minns fired back that the unions had “done nothing so far to get an outcome”.
“I’m hoping for a breakthrough, but I’m not holding my breath,” Minns said on Friday.
Rail, Train and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW branch secretary Toby Warnes says the government has “disengaged” from the pay dispute.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
“The government has come to the table with a good faith offer that’s above inflation that will see, over time, workers paid real wage increases,” Minns said. “We want an agreement, but the agreement can’t just be a blank cheque handed over from the government to the union. We had six months of negotiations.”
Minns said agencies would “do everything we can to minimise disruption on the transport network”.
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“I’d urge the unions to get around the table, to call off these strikes and industrial bans because they’re causing real delays to regular people that need to get to work by using public transport.”
The RTBU and five other unions are seeking a 32 per cent pay rise over four years for their members, an increase that is significantly higher than the government’s opening offer of an increase of 9.5 per cent over three years.
RTBU NSW branch secretary Toby Warnes said the government had “disengaged”, and the unions hadn’t “heard a peep from the government since mid-December”.
“I’m an eternal optimist and I hope we get something out of today,” Warnes told ABC Radio on Friday.
“The biggest surprise to us is … there doesn’t seem to be a willingness to negotiate at all. They really need to come back to the table, and it’s baffling us as to why they’re not.”
After a ceasefire during the Christmas-New Year period in the dispute, the RTBU will restart at least eight major work bans from January 15, including a reduction in speeds on sections of track where trains can usually travel more than 80km/h.
A ban will also be placed on RTBU members at Sydney Trains and NSW Trains working with contractors. Another will prevent work on reinstating train services if they have been cancelled.
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