Rail workers ratify employment agreement

Rail workers have voted to ratify their collective agreement for a two year term.

The agreement is the largest in the rail industry and covers over 2,500 workers at NZ Railways Corporation, Ontrack and KiwiRail.

RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson said the agreement included a pay increase of 1.2% in the first year and a 2% increase in the second year. It is backdated to 30 June 2012.

“In the midst of significant budget cuts at KiwiRail, rail workers were of the view that this was the best offer available,” Wayne Butson said.

“In ratifying this agreement, it is with a distinct note of sadness, given the number of redundancies rail workers have faced this year across the KiwiRail Infrastructure & Engineering division and at Hillside workshops in Dunedin.”

“Rail is a critical part of New Zealand’s transport infrastructure. The cuts to KiwiRail’s Infrastructure & Engineering division budget and the layoffs at Hillside would have been totally avoidable if we had a government that took rail seriously.”

“It is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of thousands of rail workers who keep the rail network alive, in the midst of these very challenging times,” Wayne Butson said.

www.firstunion.org.nz

ENDS