RTBU boss Alex Claassens steps back as Chris Minns rallies 800 Labor faithful

The man orchestrating the train strikes that have ground Sydney to a halt has quit his official role in the Labor Party, but vowed to keep fighting the Perrottet government.

The man orchestrating the train strikes that have ground Sydney to a halt has quit his official role in the Labor Party but vowed to keep fighting the Perrottet government.

The shock resignation of Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) boss Alex Claassens follows mounting pressure on Labor Leader Chris Minns over his political ties to the union leader in charge of orders stopping the trains.

Mr Claassens made the announcement at Labor’s state conference on Sunday, where Mr Minns vowed to bring a “fresh start to NSW”, rallying the party faithful six months before the state election.

Labor’s first in-person state conference since 2018 also saw a civil war erupt over protest laws, which Mr Minns was forced to stare down.

And frontbencher Mick Veitch was booted from the party’s upper house ballot and will lose his seat in parliament after a challenge from a twice-failed labor candidate on the conference floor.

Alex Claassens has resigned from Labor's powerful Administrative Committee. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dylan Coker

Mr Claassens has overseen repeated rail strikes this year grinding the city’s rail network to a halt.

He will stay on as RTBU NSW Secretary, but told Labor members that he would withdraw from seeking re-election to Labor’s powerful Administrative Committee, an integral part of Labor’s Sussex Street governance arm.

“I want to be free to be a critical friend of Labor, and for now that means being untethered from my elected position within the party,” he said.

“Union members deserve better than what they’re getting from a Perrottet government, and that is where my energies need to be,” he said.

An email sent to RTBU members last month, signed off by Mr Claassens, declared that the Perrottet government “does not deserve a moment of peace between now and the next election”.

Facing increasing pressure over the strikes, Mr Minns refused to back the RTBU’s rail strikes.

Labor leader Chris Minns is welcomed to Labor’s state conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dylan Coker

Mr Minns rallied more than 800 Labor faithful on Sunday, vowing a “fresh start for NSW”.

Welcomed to a crowd of cheering Labor supporters by his wife Anna, Mr Minns talked about how party meetings with their young boys in tow was a fixture of their 24 year marriage.

The Labor leader said he was “ready for a challenge” and to take on the “long hours” required to lead the state, should he win at next year’s state election.

“I knew I was going to marry her (Mrs Minns) the moment I saw her, without knowing anything about her other than the way she voted,” Mr Minns told the crowd.

“We both love this party and we believe in you, the delegates responsible for its stewardship, our branches across the state and country, the union movement who are here with us today. We thank you for everything.”

Mr Minns gave his cabinet allies a shoutout, including Opposition Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, environment spokesman Penny Sharpe, and his deputy Prue Car.

“Does anyone truly believe that this government’s best days are in front of them,” he asked.

“I said at the beginning of this address: We are ready for a challenge.”

Minns told the conference NSW was ready for a new start. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Mr Minns was forced to stare down a left-wing push at the conference to support extremist protesters in shutting down Sydney by blocking major roads.

A civil war over tough laws threatening jail time for protesters who block major roads erupted on Sunday afternoon, with members of the party’s left faction trying to force a Minns government to repeal the new penalties if it wins next year’s election.

A string of unionists aligned to Labor’s left faction spoke out against the new laws during a passionate debate among the party faithful.

Left faction members shouted down Health Services Union representatives who spoke in favour of the anti-protest laws, warning that protesters shutting down roads puts people needing urgent medical care at risk.

The push to water down protest laws was unsuccessful, with conference delegates overwhelmingly voting in favour of keeping the new penalties in place.

Cameron Murphy, who failed twice in a bid to be elected in East Hills, succeeded in a ballot for the upper house ticket — which will kick Mr Veitch out of parliament.

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