Image: Transport For NSW/Facebook
Transport minister Jo Haylen vowed that the government will pursue “all legal options” after the railway union confirmed that industrial action is set to disrupt train services on Sydney’s busiest night of the year.
With more than a million revellers expected to line the harbour, the government’s plans to schedule an extra thousand services are up in the air as members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) voted on Monday for further industrial action. The vote endorsed expanding work bans which have limited Sydney Trains’ ability to roster staff needed to run trains.
Chief among these restrictions is a limit on the distance which train staff may traverse on their runs, gradually tightening by the day. By the year’s end, this is slated to limit crew to only half their usual working distance, which RTBU NSW secretary Toby Warnes accordingly estimates would necessitate a halving of services.
The same ban was a focal point of contention in late November, when Sydney nearly saw suburban and intercity services halted entirely. The ban was expected to affect intercity travellers the worst.
The transport minister said at the time that the bans “make it harder and harder for us to operate our train network,” and would force a shutdown if they were not rolled back.
Union, government paint different pictures
While acknowledging that industrial action will disrupt travellers during one of Sydney’s premiere annual attractions, Warnes downplayed the effect.
“It certainly won’t mean that trains won’t run. What it means is that it makes it harder for senior management to roster workers onto trains,” the union secretary said.
“It will absolutely disrupt the rail network, but it won’t be commuter chaos.”
Warnes suggested travellers could use alternative transport or “watch the fireworks at home” instead of on the world-famous harbour.
He accused the government of not engaging in negotiations, saying that “absolute radio silence” had forced workers to take action in hope of bringing it back to the table.
The transport minister had no patience to show. “No level of industrial action is tolerable this time of the year, particularly given how tough it’s been for families and businesses,” she said.
Business NSW chief executive Dan Hunter has warned that the threat of strikes could be the final nail in the coffin for some businesses, sending them into bankruptcy.
Sydney Trains sought the mediation of the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday, hoping for it to oversee negotiations going forward.
Sydney Metro services running through the city centre from Sydenham and Tallawong in the Hills will not be affected.
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