Sydney faces more public transport disruptions as Rail Union plans to strike

By ERIN MODARO

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said more industrial action is coming in November, as Sydney commuters brace for potential public transport delays and limited train timetables. More industrial action like what Sydney has faced in the past is coming through the month, with a full strike planned for December 2nd.

The news comes after the union and the NSW government have yet to make progress in conciliation hearings, clashing over wage negotiations and safety concerns on the new intercity fleet.

Secretary of the NSW RTBU Alex Claassens said the government is still refusing to “back down on big ticket items”.

After a plan to open opal gates for commuters was knocked back by the Fair Work Commission in September, and deemed ‘unprotected’, Claassens said the state government “has shown it will stop at nothing”.

“If the government continues to stop us from giving commuters free fares, the only actions available to us are things like strike action” he said.

Industrial actions to build over November

Claassens said the industrial action through November will start with things like overtime bans and refusing to work with contractors. The union will then ramp up to actions such as refusing to use internationally built trains, which in past actions has reduced the amount of services significantly.

The refusal to operate trains built overseas has been projected to take place on Monday November 21 and Friday November 25. These train make up 70% of the available fleet, meaning only 30% of trains will be in use on these days.

The union and government have been locked over negotiations for the past several months, with neither party willing to back down. The government said they would meet the union’s demand for an initial pay rise of 2.53% and annual increases of 3.03% over the next two years, but counter-offered with a lower sign-on bonus than what the union asked for.

However, these negotiations remain up in the air as no agreement has been made.

The case between the NSW government and the rail union is currently at the Federal Court, with an outcome yet to be passed.