Unions and Sydney Trains in Deadlock over Pay Negotiations

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Last night's meeting between unions and Sydney Trains bosses ended in deadlock after 10 hours of negotiating.

They're meeting again this afternoon in a bid to resolve the deadlock ahead of planned 24 hour strike action next Monday, and workers planning not to work overtime on Thursday across the state and here in the Hunter.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) rejected an offer put on the table last night which is understood to have been a 3 per cent pay rise and travel entitlements.

"Our members are angry, they're fed up, they're sick of getting the blame for all the stuff that's been going on and we just want a fair deal and we're not getting it," said RTBU State Secretary Alex Classens after the meeting last night.

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Classens Image news.com.au

The RTBU is asking for a six per cent pay rise and improved conditions, but the government isn't moving far away from their 2.5 per cent cut off.

Sydney Trains boss Howard Collins told reporters after the meeting last night, "I'm hoping that some overnight thinking and some common sense will prevail tomorrow morning that we may hear back from them to say that we want to look after our customers first."

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance copped some flack this morning for not being at last night's meeting, but he said he met with the union on Friday and the right people are in the meetings brokering a deal.

"Because they're working through the specific details and we've got a good agreement on the table and we're going to go from there. I met with the union leaders on Friday, it's appropriate for the management and the bosses to work through the specifics of the deal," said Andrew Constance on Nine this morning. 

Hunter Ausgrid Workers Threaten Strike Action

BY IAN CROUCH and MATT JOHNSTON

UPDATE 1:58 PM

More than 2,800 Ausgrid workers were involved in the vote to take stop work action, 93% of whom supported work stoppages of up to 8 hours, and a refusal to do overtime or callouts.

However, the manager for the Energy and Utilities team with the United Services Union Peter Campise says a strike would be "an absolute last resort", and that they're still prepared to negotiate with Ausgrid.

"Our members of course are consumers [of Ausgrid's services] themselves, so we're very conscious of our needs as well, and trying to make sure that there's the least damage to the community."

 If an agreement isn't reached, workers could go on strike as early as the first half of February, a period which last year saw power outages across the Hunter.

Delegates from the combined unions involved in the discussions will meet on January 31st to discuss the timing and format of any stoppages.

EARLIER:

Ausgrid workers across the Hunter have voted overnight to take industrial action next month unless they get a pay rise.

The Electrical Trades Union says its members haven't had a wage increase in four years and have run out of patience, while Ausgrid executives have awarded themselves pay increases averaging 5-point-3 percent a year.

The union is pushing for a 3 percent increase each year for 3 years, while Ausgrid is offering a 7 percent rise over the same period plus a $1000 one-off payment.

In a statement, Ausgrid CEO Richard Gross says they're disappointed with the proposed strike action and want the union to continue to bargain in good faith.

Former Port Waratah Coal Services Supervisors Working as "Strike-breakers"

BY SARAH JAMES

The Maritime Union of Australia is furious that at least two former supervisors of Port Waratah Coal Services are now working as strike-breakers during the industrial dispute at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal.

Long-running tensions regarding their current enterprise agreement came to a head at Port Kembla on Sunday, with more than 60 workers being locked out by the company.

Workers affected by this lockout will have their pay suspended for five days.

This move has drawn criticism from the Maritime Union of Australia, who argue it is ultimately stalling any enterprise agreement negotiations going ahead.

"Going outside and hiring external strike-breaking labour at the end of the day is not beneficial to anybody in finalising an agreement that has any stability going forward," said Deputy President of South Coast Labour Council Garry Keane.

"The workers in that terminal have kept that place going for many years. They've sat down and done numerous enterprise agreements, and they've never come to this situation. They've always been willing to sit down, work out agreements and they still are. But they're not going to do while they've got a gun held to their head that strips back the entitlements of 25 years," he elaborated.

Port Waratah Coal Services

Newcastle Herald workers strike after Fairfax announce job cuts

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Staff from the Newcastle Herald will head back to work this morning after striking in solidarity with their Fairfax colleagues yesterday.

On what was UNESCO World Press Freedom day, media giant Fairfax announced they would be cutting 125 jobs from newsrooms at the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review in a bid to save $30 million dollars.

Staff at those mastheads have walked off the job for a week, disgusted at the company's decision to axe 25 per cent of its journalists.

Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy said: "The editorial staff are really angry. They think the company has made a terrible decision that is not in the best interest of the company, its audience or its staff."