Union tells Sydney train drivers to stay home triggering major commuter delays throughout weekend
Public transport users have been told to brace for another day of train delays and cancellations on Sunday, after the industrial umpire postponed its decision on the rail dispute.
NSW
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Rail commuters have been told to brace for more chaos on the network on Sunday, with staff expected to call in sick and skip shifts for a third day after the industrial umpire postponed dispute proceedings.
It comes after the Minns government alleged the high numbers of drivers and guards calling in sick amounted to “co-ordinated” unlawful industrial action by the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) at the Fair Work Commission (FWC) yesterday.
As negotiations dragged past the fourth hour, deputy commissioner Thomas Roberts postponed his judgement on the matter until Sunday.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland said he hoped the matter would be resolved before Monday to avoid crippling delays for commuters heading to work and school.
“We (have seen) what we would deem a record level of sick leave across the network,” he said.
“We certainly remind all passengers that while this industrial action is in place, they should expect to see impacts across the rail network.”
At the hearing, Sydney Trains executive director Fatima Abbas said the number of guards who reported sick on Friday was 28 per cent higher than on the same day in the last six weeks.
The operator’s barrister argued this amounted to unlawful industrial action in their latest bid to stop the union in its tracks.
But the RTBU told the FWC there was no evidence of such a plan, with barrister Leo Saunders claiming it “would be the most covert campaign of all time”.
More than 450 services were delayed or cancelled by Sunday afternoon despite the quieter weekend timetable after about 360 staff called in sick or absent from shifts.
NSW RTBU secretary Toby Warnes said the union’s advice to members about staying home amid the dispute with the government remained unchanged while pay docking notices for those who participated in “go slow” action were upheld.
Despite the stalemate, Mr Warnes said he was “very confident” the commission would rule in the union’s favour.
“There’s absolutely no evidence that our members on a co-ordinated basis called in sick yesterday,” he said.
An application by the government to have the action suspended on the grounds of public interest will be heard at a separate hearing next Wednesday.
Government and union lock horns
In a video uploaded to the RTBU Facebook page on Saturday morning, divisional secretary Farren Campbell said the government was spreading “rubbish” and “vexatious lies” about the rail chaos.
The declaration comes as the union and the Minns government head back to the Fair Work Commission for a second day in a row.
Under the Fair Work Act, Sydney Trains and Transport for NSW are seeking a 418 application to stop an “unprotected industrial action,” after they lost their 425 interim order to have the action suspended on Friday.
It is understood the government will allege the union encouraged members to take part in the industrial action by calling in sick, with greater numbers of sick leave reportedly lodged on Friday than during the heights of the Covid pandemic.
More than 800 train staff failed to turn up for work by Friday evening. It is not clear how many workers claimed illness but initial estimates placed the figure in the hundreds.
“I’m sure members would have seen that Sydney Trains has taken the RTBU to the commission to try and run with this rubbish narrative that somehow RTBU members organised a ‘sick out’ yesterday and the chaos on the rail network was somehow a result of that,” Mr Campbell said.
“As you all know that’s absolute rubbish, what we saw yesterday is very squarely as a result of the lockout notices issued by Sydney Trains.
“Hopefully today truth will prevail and the facts will be laid bare for the world to see … and hopefully we can finally end these vexatious lies and rubbish from Sydney trains on the head.”
Commuters hoping to enjoy their weekend plans have been advised to avoid any non-essential travel for the second day running, as delays and cancellations loom across the network.
Transport for NSW alerts on Saturday morning show all Sydney and intercity rail lines are affected by the continued rail union strike.
“There will be lengthy delays, service cancellations and large service gaps expected today, due to a high level of staff absences from industrial action,” the alert read.
“Disruptions will continue throughout the weekend and into next week.”
As of 9.30am, 16 services have been cancelled with lines closed between Sutherland and Cronulla, and Granville and Lidcombe due to planned trackwork.
There will be lengthy delays, service cancellations and large service gaps expected on the rail network today, due to a high level of staff absences from industrial action.
— Sydney Trains & NSW TrainLink Info (@TrainsInfo) February 14, 2025
Disruptions will continue throughout the weekend and into next week.
Please delay non-essential travel,… pic.twitter.com/nKZ5UhwJuc
Standy buses are on call across the network but have only been used on the Blue Mountains line, compared to Friday when 95.3 per cent of services were cancelled or delayed.
It comes after rail union boss Toby Warnes vowed to continue telling members to not turn up to work
A Fair Work Commission (FWC) hearing on Friday failed to resolve the dispute which shut down the network with 95.3 per cent of services cancelled or delayed, leaving commuters stranded for hours and costing the economy millions.
Amid a blame game between the government and the union as to who was responsible for the shutdowns, Mr Warnes told The Saturday Telegraph that the Rail, Tram and Bus Union would continue telling members to stay home.
ANALYSIS: Who is in control of train strike action?
“So as far as we know, the employer’s and the government’s 471 (pay docking) notices stay in place until Wednesday week, so our advice has to be the same,” he said.
A “471” notice refers to the government’s threat to dock pay for staff that do not complete their normal duties.
Sydney trains issued notices to staff on Thursday night, sparking the union’s advice to “simply not turn up to work”.
A NSW government spokeswoman said the union had been offered a mutual ceasefire, but the union refused.
“This afternoon the Fair Work Commission has made a recommendation to the RTBU to withdraw their industrial action,” the spokeswoman said.
“The government also offered to withdraw the 471 notices, if at the same time the RTBU withdrew its industrial action.
“They refused. We are back in commission tomorrow.”
Mr Warnes also claimed victory, saying the commission had rejected the government’s application for an interim suspension order to halt the industrial action.
“The employer’s lockout remains on as long as the employer continues to maintain the lockout,” he said.
“The case is going to be heard tomorrow as (Sydney Trains and Transport for NSW) are alleging we’re taking unprotected industrial action for a reason we don’t know about.”
The tit-for-tat claims come as fed-up Sydney commuters are facing major delays in their journeys home from work, with a quarter of train services cancelled after the rail union told its members to “simply not go to work”.
At Central Station this afternoon, crowds of people are waiting on multiple platforms for trains to leave, with no departure times shown on signs.
Many commuters had taken hours to get to work today — if they managed to complete the trip at all thanks to the gridlock
The lack of concrete departure times left one lady furiously storming away from the platform, shouting about how “incompetent” train staff are.
“They don’t have a f***king clue of when the trains are leaving!” she said.
One train meant to head to Revesby sat idle on platform 17. Another was meant for Hornsby. Neither showed an indication of when they would leave the station.
‘LET’S F**K THE NETWORK UP
The chaos was sparked overnight when in a text message sent to members, a Rail, Tram and Bus Union convener told union comrades to stay home after the government vowed to dock workers’ pay if they failed to perform their duties.
“Let’s f** k the network up,” the convener said.
Transport Minister John Graham confirmed more 862 rail staff had not turned up for work, with greater numbers of sick leave lodged on Friday than during the Covid pandemic.
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey accused the rail union of “gaslighting commuters”.
“I’m so sorry that Sydney has woken up to a sneak strike in support of a wild claim,” he said.
“I think most people will look at these circumstances and conclude this has been a bad faith move from the union that is taking place at the public’s expense.”
Hundreds of cancellations and delays rippled through the network on Friday after pay negotiations sensationally broke down late on Thursday night.
Sydney Trains chief executive officer Matthew Longland said 465 services had been cancelled as of noon.
Travellers and commuters hopping on the T8 Airport and South Line were facing repeated service cancellations and delay blowouts of up to two hours.
A limited shuttle service ran between Central Station and the airports, however Mr Longland told passengers to “look for alternative modes of transport” if they wanted to make their flights on time.
Services on the T7 Olympic Park Line were cancelled for the rest of the day and services are not running on the South Coast Line between Bomaderry and Bondi Junction.
Commuters have been directed to local and replacement buses instead.
During the day, Mr Longland said passengers should expect disruptions to “worsen” throughout Friday.
Trains ran 23km/h slower in areas of track where the speed limit was over 80km/h as part of the industrial action.
Union secretary Toby Warnes on Friday accused the government of issuing a “lock out notice” to members, in which the employer refused to allow staff to work.
The government accused the union of issuing a last-minute demand for a $4500 “bonus payment” for every rail worker.
Former transport minister David Elliott accused Mr Warnes of lying about the $4500 one-off payment inserted into the train workers award.
Mr Warnes on Friday said pay negotiations broke down over the payment, which he claimed was supposed to be repeated when a new agreement was finalised.
Mr Elliott, who negotiated the last pay award, said that was not true.
“The $4500 was simply a “one-off” and therefore, by definition, a single payment,” he said.
“If these blokes were at the Last Supper they would have demanded a side order of chips.”
On Friday, Mr Warnes refused to apologise for his union conveners vowing to “f** k up the network” but denied he had “lost control” of members.
“I won’t apologise for the feelings people have on the ground,” he said.
“If I was issued a (non-payment) notice like that by my employer, I think I would feel the same way.”
In the same breath, Mr Warnes repeatedly denied responsibility for the industrial action after distancing himself from union conveners.
“We didn’t instruct our workers to do anything,” he said.
“We instructed our members what their rights were, what their obligations were, and what would happen if they didn’t go to work.”
TRANSPORT MINISTER: ‘THIS ISN’T A LOCKOUT’
Confronted with his first major test since becoming the new Transport Minister, John Graham said the “f** k up the network” comments were “totally unacceptable evidence of co-ordination” between the union and conveners, despite RTBU leadership claiming otherwise.
However, he said it was time for both parties to own up to their mistakes.
“We should all be apologising here, the government has, we’re very sorry for the impact this is having on commuters,” he said.
“(And) the union should as well.”
Opposition spokeswoman for Transport Natalie Ward called the union’s behaviour “industrial terrorism”.
“This is another meltdown and Sydney is being held to ransom by industrial terrorism and industrial terrorism,” Ms Ward told 2gb.
“This is on (Mr Graham’s) head, we’ve got a new minister, new negotiations and new excuses … but it’s the same outcome for commuters and it needs to stop.”
COMMUTER FURY AT MASS DELAYS
Commuters at Central Station were dealing with insurmountably late trains on Friday morning, with many services without timetables.
Barry Adamson had already been stranded at Central Station for over half an hour with little hope of attending his 10am workshop on time.
Mr Adamson estimates he will be “over an hour and a half late” when the dust finally settles.
“It’s ironic because they want us to use the trains, but this is the second or third time these sorts of delays have happened in recent months,” he said.
Fenella Parisi, 52, suddenly noticed the trains were no longer arriving.
“I was waiting at Ashfield station at quarter to eight for my train and they announced there was no timetable available for my train,” she said.
“People started running from one platform to another to try and catch whatever trains that wouldn’t otherwise stop at the station.”
“I eventually managed to get a train to Central that was absolutely packed, but I still need to get to Wynyard and then a bus to Cremorne, so I don’t think I’ll make it to work on time.”
‘END THIS, ALBO’
The federal Coalition called on the Albanese Government to bring an end to the dispute by using laws allowing workplace relations Minister Murray Watt to terminate the industrial action instantly if he deems it to be causing severe economic damage.
“This dispute has gone on long enough and the Albanese Labor Government has done
nothing to help bring about a resolution,” Coalition spokeswoman for employment and workplace relations Senator Michaelia Cash said.
“The people of NSW have been held to ransom for far too long. Minister Watt should have
intervened months ago.”
NSW Senator Maria Kovacic said the latest chaos “is an extraordinary situation, and it demands extraordinary action”.
“Enough is enough. It is clear that the Minns Labor Government has lost control of our rail
network, and everyday Australians are paying the price. It is time for the Federal Government
to step in and put an end to this economic vandalism.”
The federal government has previously resisted getting involved in the ongoing fight between the NSW Government and the union, previously saying it supported the NSW Government’s efforts to solve the issue.
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