‘Breakthrough’ looming between union and state government on rail dispute

Hope has been offered that a “breakthrough” is coming for commuters caught up in the chaos on a state’s rail network.

An end could be in sight for the chaos on NSW’s rail network following another day of disrupted services due to industrial action from the train union.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and the state government have been locked in a bitter dispute for years over the union’s safety concerns with a $2.8bn intercity train fleet.

The union wants the government to commit to addressing their safety concerns by signing a written deed and are taking various forms of industrial action until their demands are met.

RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens has indicated that a “breakthrough” between the two parties may not be far away.

“We’ve been fighting the safety of the new intercity train fleet for over six years. We’ve been trying to get them to a document in writing that actually guarantees that,” he said on Tuesday.

Sydney’s Central Station during the union’s industrial action on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

“I can say this morning we had a meeting with some people and that part of the process is moving forward.

“Unless another minister interferes in that process, we may actually be able to come out and say sometime tomorrow afternoon or in the next few days that there will be a breakthrough on the deed.

“Every time we get close to that there is a backflip. Hopefully, there won't be one this time and we can get on with the business of doing what we do best and running trains through the state of NSW.”

Mr Claassens said an agreement was almost reached on June 30 before the government tied fixing the trains with the union agreeing to items in their enterprise bargaining negotiation.

“We said ‘that is not going to happen because that enterprising bargaining assassination is happening with six unions’ … and everybody has to be a part of the process,” he said.

“If they want to wait until the enterprise agreement is signed up, that is fine, we don‘t mind. We are not in a hurry to do this.”

RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said the government conflated their safety concerns to the enterprise bargaining agreement. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Commuters have shown their anger after ongoing industrial action caused widespread train delays and locked up the city’s transport network on Tuesday.

A heavily reduced timetable ran on four busy Sydney train lines throughout the day as another week of disruption began on NSW’s rail network.

No train services are operating on the T5 Cumberland line between Richmond and Leppington, while commuters on the T5 line have to change at Granville to complete their journey.

The T1 North Shore and Western, T7 Olympic Park and T9 Northern lines are running on a heavily reduced timetable.

Workers on T1 Blue Mountains and Newcastle lines are also striking from 10am to 4pm.

Commuters vented their outrage on social media as their morning commute was thrown into chaos.

“Beyond a f**king joke,” one Twitter user wrote.

“They’re losing all semblance of public support. So many front line workers have to travel into the city and they’re being absolutely smashed with this bulls**t,” another wrote.

Heavy traffic is seen heading towards the Harbour Bridge. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

“Sydney trains on their bulls**t again!,” said a third user.

Major roads are now suffering under the weight of regular train travellers heeding travel advice and avoiding the rail network.

The Warringah Freeway piled up with commuter traffic heading northbound just before 9am.

#sydneytrains on their bullshit again!! The 5:17 has just been cancelled as well. @T8SydneyTrains People are HATING everyone associated with #sydneytrains 🖕🏼 pic.twitter.com/lz2mDm6g3r

— Brendan Ξ (@Brendan_E) August 22, 2022

On Thursday, trains on all suburban lines will run to an amended timetable, with a major reduction to services during peak periods due to another strike.

Mr Claassens said it was too early to say whether a signed deed would stop this industrial action from happening.

“Even if magically everyone agrees to the deed overnight, it is still going to go through a process,” he said.

“Our members who actually ultimately tell me and the leadership of the union what is going to happen, they are the ones that will ultimately decide whether our actions go on or off.”

Sydney Trains has told commuters to plan ahead if the strike does take place on Thursday.

Commuters line up for alternative transport at Wynyard Station in the Sydney CBD as train strikes cause chaos across the Sydney transport networks. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

“Unfortunately, commuters will experience longer journey times, less frequent services, and changes to stopping patterns due to this industrial action,” Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said.

Commuters are advised to consider alternative travel options including the city’s bus network.

The industrial action is also expected to have flow-on effects on intercity and regional services, with delays and cancellations impacting many TrainLink services.

“We are working closely with the RTBU to put an end to the daily delays and cancellations on the train network and minimise the ongoing impact to our customers,” Mr Longland said.

“We want to maintain frequent services across the network for essential workers, schoolchildren and other commuters who really need to use the network.”

There will be no train services operating on the T5 Cumberland line between Richmond and Leppington. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

Commuters are reminded to tap on and off at Opal readers for every part of their journey despite ticket gates being left open.

Mr Longland said the NSW government was continuing negotiations with unions to progress to a new enterprise agreement and end disruptions for commuters.

“We thank our commuters for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused,” he said.

The RTBU and state government will continue their negotiations overnight and from Wednesday morning.

Originally published as ‘Breakthrough’ looming between union and state government on rail dispute