Report Back on CRU Negotiations 15th & 16th April

The Combined Rail Unions met with the rail entities (Sydney Trains and NSW Trains) over two days this week, 15^th and 16^th April.

Three business group managers from the rail entities gave presentations on proposed reforms to:

• Customer service (stations and cleaning)
• Infrastructure Maintenance
• Train Crew.

NSW Trains were unable to make a presentation on the basis that their “business plan had not been finalised and approved.”

The rail entities tabled several documents over the two days which included:

• A proposed facilitation clause (lays out what the rail entities intend to do for the life of the agreement and the process for dealing with disputes)
• A list of clauses from section 1 (common conditions) that the rail entities want to negotiate
• A draft wage increase ‘model clause’, based on the State Transit wage clause, but containing no actual offer  of increased remuneration
• A list of action items for both sides to provide at the next two meetings.

The CRU has undertaken to provide more detail on the log of claims endorsed by the members.

Throughout these negotiations and again this week, the CRU pressed that the rail entities come clean on every single initiative that they have implemented over the past two years which was not included in the 2010 Agreement.

To date they have failed to do so. The Combined Rail Unions view is that, irrespective of any other issue, it is fundamental to meaningful progress that the rail entities account for every cent they have squeezed out of the workforce and the industry over the last two years.

Members and delegates should contact their union organisers with the restructurings, downgradings, outsourcing, redundancies and any other proposals where savings have either been made or are being contemplated.

Next Steps

The next negotiation meetings are scheduled for 23^rd and 30^th April.

At the conclusion of those negotiations we will provide members with a detailed update of where we stand.