Perrottet takes hard line, slaps rail workers with ultimatum

Samantha HutchinsonNational reporter

Aug 31, 2022 – 6.43pm

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NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has threatened to tear up a wage deal with the state’s train union in a hardline stance on industrial action to end a wave of strikes crippling Sydney’s public transport system.

As NSW commuters endured hour-long waits for trains and stood stranded at stations because of a strike affecting 75 per cent of services, the premier handed the state’s rail union an ultimatum to accept a $1 billion enterprise agreement or have it terminated.

correction —

An earlier version of this story stated the price of a government offer to modify the new inner city fleet would cost $64 million. This is incorrect. The correct figure is $264 million. It has been updated accordingly.

Samantha Hutchinson is the AFR's National Reporter. Most recently, she was CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Before that, she covered Victorian and NSW politics and business for The Australian, the AFR and BRW Magazine.