NSW in turmoil: 26,000 working days lost to strikes under Premier Minns
Friday’s chaotic strike action that will grind Sydney’s train network to a halt is just the latest in a long line of industrial disputes which have up-ended the lives of people across the state.
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Friday’s chaotic strike action that will grind Sydney’s train network to a halt is just the latest in a long line of industrial disputes which have up-ended the lives of people across NSW.
NSW has lost nearly 26,000 “working days” to industrial action since the Minns government took power in March last year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
A lost “working day” is counted when an individual worker goes on strike for a day of industrial action.
The latest industrial dispute between the Minns government and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) comes after weeks of disruption due to multiple public-sector unions fighting for pay rises after the former government’s wages cap expired in September last year.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has held multiple 24-hour strikes, which saw elective surgeries delayed and emergency room wait times blow out.
The Minns government rejected the nurses’ demands for a 15 per cent pay rise in one year, instead offering to pay the 15 per cent over multiple years.
The government calculated that the nurses wage demands would cost the state budget an extra $6.5bn over four years.
Premier Chris Minns has also refused to step in to stop rolling industrial action between the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and the state’s major electricity suppliers.
Almost 50 different work bans are set to be added by the ETU next week in the latest addition to the industrial chaos impacting Sydneysiders.
The indefinite bans, which include action stopping members from switching power on and off, or repairing equipment and cabling, are set to commence on Tuesday.
ETU work bans impacting energy companies have already delayed thousands of people moving into new homes and risked delays to billions of dollars’ worth of projects.
To add fuel to the fire of the industrial chaos – albeit unrelated to the Minns government – hundreds of Woolworths warehouse workers walked off the job yesterday in an effort to secure higher wages from the supermarket giant in a move which could see customers dealing with bare shelves.
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman accused Mr Minns of creating the industrial mess by being unable to keep the unions in check.
“We have a weak government beholden to unions – they (the unions) smell blood,” he said “What we have now is industrial chaos in NSW.”
A NSW government spokesperson said while there had been significant levels of industrial action recently, the former Coalition government lost more working days than under the first 18 months of the Minns government.
“Over the past five weeks alone, the NSW government has reached agreements covering hundreds of thousands of workers across hospitals, schools, courts, child protection, national parks and many other essential services,” the spokesperson said.
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