Office of National Rail Safety Regulator Enterprise Bargaining Agreement Update 3
This is the potential outcome Office of National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) management are proposing for your wages over the next 4 years.
The CPSU-SPSF and employee bargaining reps met with ONRSR management on 1 May for the latest round of bargaining.
While there was some positive movement on a number of claims, ONRSR’s position on wages is deeply concerning.
Management has proposed a 4-year agreement with no guaranteed wage increases.
Instead, they want your pay rises to be entirely dependent on what Transport Ministers decide to allocate to ONRSR each year – with no minimum increases or link to CPI.
This means if Ministers freeze ONRSR funding, your wages could be frozen too – for four years.
By contrast, your current Agreement guarantees CPI or 1.5 per cent, whichever is higher. It protects against inflation and ensures increases even in low-growth periods.
This new proposal removes that certainty and hands control of your wages to politicians who aren’t accountable to you.
Enterprise agreements are meant to provide certainty for both workers and employers.
ONRSR’s proposal provides stability for them, and nothing for you.
This is a moment for ONRSR employees to stand together and say: this is not fair. Workers shouldn’t be left carrying the burden of a funding model that’s out of our
control. A fair agreement means wage certainty, not crossing our fingers every year.
There are a few claims management has shown a willingness to support:
These are positive steps, but they don’t balance out a wage policy that could see you
worse off for years.
Management has also proposed a major trade-off: removing your entitlement to flexitime.
While they’ve indicated some openness to discussing new flexibility provisions, there’s been no agreement on your claims to improve flexible work options.
We’re here to bargain for more flexibility, not less. We will continue to make that clear in future discussions.
At the last meeting, ONRSR management said they’d heard from some staff who opposed parts of the employee claim – but weren’t able to provide any examples.
In a recent staff update, they suggested employees should raise concerns with Anne-Marie or Kas. With respect, Anne-Marie and Kas are employer bargaining reps – their role is to pursue outcomes from the employer’s perspective.
If you have concerns or questions about any part of the employee claim, the right people to speak with are your CPSU delegate or one of the seven employee bargaining representatives – the people who are at the table to give you a voice.
If you’re concerned about the wages proposal or anything else raised in bargaining, now is the time to speak up.
You can speak to a bargaining rep, email the CPSU at or contact CPSU delegate Bianca at
If you’re not yet a CPSU NSW member and want to join click HERE.
Tom Lynch, CPSU Federal President
Bianca Tuckwell, CPSU delegate & Employee Bargaining Rep
Phil Wright, Employee Bargaining Rep
Joy Mitchell, Employee Bargaining Rep
Mason Garlick, Employee Bargaining Rep
Theresa Timmins, Employee Bargaining Rep
