AUSTRALIAN UNIONS AND NSW GOVERNMENT REACH DEAL
Union and New South Wales government
officials have reached a compromise in a dispute over workers
compensation, averting increased industrial action in the
state, union sources said.
    But some unions, including those of building and mining
workers, said they were dissatisfied with the deal and would
continue their strikes for a few more days.
    State officials said the government had agreed to revise
its proposals to cut compensation and would allow slightly
higher cash benefits for injured workers.
    Under the original proposal, which sparked strikes and
other industrial action in the state on April 7, workers'
compensation would have been cut by one third. Full details of
the compromise package are not yet known.
    The Labour Council, affiliated to the Australian Council of
Trade Unions (ACTU), had threatened to paralyse New South Wales
unless the government modified its pending legislation on the
issue.
    State officials said the only sectors affected in the past
three days were some government building projects, railway
freight movement and cargo handling in Sydney's ports.
 REUTER
