Sydney Trains Back on Track: Fair Work Commission Halts Rail Strikes Until July

The union sought a 32 percent pay rise across four years, but the government offered 15 percent for the same period, including a superannuation increase.

A CityRail commuter train leaves Circular Quay railway station in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 2, 2010. Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images

In a win for rail commuters and the New South Wales government, the industrial umpire has ordered the suspension of industrial action on Sydney’s train network, imposing a cooling-off period until July 1.

Transport Minister John Graham expressed relief at the decision on the night of Feb. 19 by the full bench of the Fair Work Commission after months of legal wrangling.