Ep.175: How Unions NSW Won an 18 Month Dispute with Thomas Costa

Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined by Unions NSW Assistant Secretary Thomas Costa. Thomas discusses Unions NSW successful Combined Rail Unions campaign across the NSW public transport sector; an 18 month long dispute with the NSW state government which came to a head in November last year. As the lead negotiator, Thomas breaks down the campaign, the challenges they faced - from management’s delaying tactics to switching to online negotiations during COVID lockdowns. He discusses the political and media strategies adopted to pressure the Perrottet government, and his key learnings from this long, protracted but ultimately successful campaign for other unionists to consider for their future campaigns.Union members in NSW are paid more, get better conditions and receive greater protections at work. In the lead up to the NSW state election on March 25, join the Essential Workers Deserve Better campaign and organise to change the government. Find out more at https://www.workersdeservebetter.com.au/The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.auSupport the showSocially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocraticIf you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.Follow Us on Socials:Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au