No free trains Friday as Transperth transit officers pause industrial action to vote on improved wages offer

Transperth transit officers will suspend industrial action – meaning no free train rides this Friday – as they vote on a substantially improved wages offer from the Cook Government. The new deal — endorsed by The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union — is headlined by pay rises of 12.5 per cent over three years. The first 5 per cent hike would be backdated to October last year, when the existing agreement expired, and followed by a further 4 per cent this coming October. Transit officers would then receive a 3.5 per cent pay rise in late 2025, the final year of the proposed deal. A new role — first-class officer — would also be created, effectively nudging the immediate pay rise for workers reclassified into that position from 5 per cent to 6 per cent. RTBU state secretary Joshua Dekuyer said the sub-branch of the union that represented transit officers had passed a resolution to ballot the 380-strong membership over the new proposal. Transit officers were informed late Wednesday afternoon, and the union also opted to pause a direction to “exercise discretion” when policing “fare evasion” on the last Friday of every month. Mr Dekuyer said the industrial action would remain “suspended” until the outcome of the vote. “I do think it is a good offer, a reasonable offer, but we will follow the direction of our membership,” he said. “The way some of the transit officers have looked at it is it would be a 9 or 10 per cent wage increase in the next few months. “Obviously, our people, like everybody, are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, and when they have that kind of carrot dangling in their faces, they could really use that money now.” The wage component of the transit officers’ proposal is better than the most recent offer rejected by public school teachers of 11 per cent over three years – comprised of 5 per cent in the first year, followed by three per cent in each of the next two. Transit officers would also be handed small boosts to their shift penalties and easier access to long-service leave. After six years of restrictive wage caps – and a blanket approach to the entire public sector – Mr Dekuyer said the Cook Government had promised a return to “genuine bargaining” on a case-by-case basis. “We expect that our deal (the first to be negotiated under the new framework) will ultimately be used by some as a benchmark,” he said. “It may well be used as a floor, not a ceiling. Other unions will negotiate outcomes for their own individual needs.” Both the RTBU and public school teachers had demanded a 12 per cent pay rise over two years as part of a coordinated campaign across the public sector. Around ten thousand teachers took part in a half-day strike on Tuesday, forcing 84 public schools to ask some or all of their students to remain at home. This strike was part of their ongoing push for better pay and conditions. Teachers have vowed to take further industrial action — including potentially a full-day strike — if no deal is reached by May 10. Transit officers are responsible for policing the rail network, including being empowered to perform arrests on trains and in stations.