Train strikes plaguing Sydney railway network could continue into September
The strikes which crippled Sydney train line on Wednesday could continue into next month, with the rail union demanding the premier “step up” to fix the chaos.
NSW
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A crunch meeting will be held on Thursday in a bid to stave off further strikes like the one which struck the Eastern suburbs and Illawarra train line on Wednesday, as the union threatened more industrial action could hobble Sydney’s railways next month.
A solitary hourly service ran on the T4 line on Wednesday ahead of further targeted strikes by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union set to hit parts of Sydney in the coming weeks.
RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens, in a fiery press conference, urged Premier Dominic Perrottet to become involved in negotiations, saying it was up to him to resolve the dispute which has resulted in year-long industrial action.
“There is one person that can now fix this, and that’s the Premier of New South Wales, and he needs to step up,” he said.
He also ominously warned the government that further strike action could be scheduled for next month if the government didn’t meet their demands for alterations to be made to the New Intercity Fleet.
The $2.8b fleet remains in storage, with the union refusing to operate it over safety concerns it says the government needs to rectify.
The government in June offered to pay $264m to fix the fleet, but the union has refused to accept the offer until it receives a written deed committing the government to the funding and to addressing pay concerns in their enterprise agreement.
“We’ve drawn a line in the sand … If this doesn’t bring them out of their corner, I don’t know what will. But if this doesn’t do it for them, we’ll do another month,” Mr Claassens said.
Employee Relations Minister Damien Tudehope, who has responsibility for the rail network this week with regular Transport Minister David Elliott off sick, accused the union of playing politics in the lead up to next year’s state election.
The union is set to meet with management and Mr Tudehope late on Thursday in a bid to limit the impact of further targeted strikes scheduled for August 17, 23 and 25.
“Rail workers and RTBU members will be dismayed by the attitude Mr Claassens’ takes towards commuters and his relish for disruptive strikes,” he said.
“The Government has made significant concessions, including to modify the New Intercity Fleet, to the rail unions in the past year to try and reach an agreement. Sadly the leadership of the RTBU seem to have no interest in calling off the strikes ahead of the State election.”
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the department would consider the findingsof the review.
“We have already taken (steps) to improve land acquisition processes and governance in line with recommendations provided by the Auditor General last year,” the woman said.
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