World Youth Day strike called off

Published: 9:13AM Wednesday July 09, 2008 Source: AAP

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NSW rail workers have called off plans for a 24-hour strike during World Youth Day after a breakthrough in pay talks with the NSW government.
  
A three-hour meeting between Transport Minister John Watkins and union officials on Tuesday averted the strike action, which was planned for July 17 - the day Pope Benedict XVI tours Sydney.
  
RailCorp, which runs Sydney's train services, is expecting to move 700,000 people that day, including 200,000 Catholic pilgrims attending World Youth Day events.
  
Union officials and RailCorp will hold negotiations from 9am (AEST) on Wednesday and plan to continue talks until an agreement is reached.
  
Watkins and Unions NSW secretary John Robertson said they would intervene if talks broke down again.
  
"The workers have had a win, the commuters have had a win and I think that's good," Robertson told reporters.
  
"Now we need to go forward in the spirit that was in the room today.
  
"The industrial action has now been called off for World Youth Day ... it will not come back up."
  
Premier Morris Iemma welcomed the breakthrough, but said the government was never going to negotiate with the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) unless the strike threat was withdrawn.
  
"Common sense has prevailed today and Sydney residents and international visitors can now be assured of rail services operating during World Youth Day week," Iemma said.
  
Pay talks between the RTBU and RailCorp have been going on for 11 months, with the union seeking a five percent increase for its members.
  
The government had offered four percent, conditional on 417 jobs being cut.
  
RailCorp has now agreed the job cuts are off the table and will offer rail workers a four percent a year increase over the next two years.
  
Watkins said an application lodged by RailCorp in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) to prevent the strike would now be withdrawn.
  
RTBU secretary Nick Lewocki said rail workers had threatened to strike due to frustration over how long it had taken RailCorp to offer a decent deal.
  
"I had a very clear mandate that when 95% of people voted that they would take action, they knew that action would be during World Youth week," Lewocki said.
  
"They were prepared to take that. It was my responsibility to take that argument up to the government, up to the commission and call on the public to support us."
  
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said the government had rolled over to union demands, only a day after Iemma had described the planned strike as industrial terror.
  
O'Farrell said the government should have negotiated a pay deal with the union well ahead of World Youth Day.

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