Sydney events thrown into chaos by strikes as furious commuters slam Minns Government

Major Sydney showcase events including a Pearl Jam concert at Olympic Park and A-League fixture rounds have been thrown into chaos as commuters fume over train shutdowns. Tell us what you think. Take our poll.

Sydney is bracing for chaos this weekend as a planned rail shutdown disrupts train services during major events, including a Pearl Jam concert at Sydney Olympic Park and the A-League’s showcase UNITE Round at Moore Park and Kogarah.

The industrial action, organised by RTBU, will halt heavy rail services from Friday through to Sunday morning, impacting millions of commuters.

Transport for NSW has confirmed that services will be reduced, leaving events such as Pearl Jam’s Saturday concert at Homebush and the men’s derby between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers at Allianz Stadium scrambling to accommodate attendees.

Despite attempts to mitigate the disruption by deploying extra buses, significant gaps in services are expected.

The transport network will also face strain from other high-profile matches and events, including six A-League double headers spread across the weekend.

Legendary rock band Pearl Jam play at Homebush. Picture: Simone Gorman-Clark

The A-League derby between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers also plays out on Saturday night at Allianz.

The stand-off has come about because of the rail union’s demands for a huge 32 per cent pay rise.

Commuters from regional areas, including Newcastle, The Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, and Illawarra, will also face reduced intercity train services due to protected industrial action.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen acknowledged the impact of the strike, pointing to efforts to keep Thursday services running to ensure fans could attend Pearl Jam’s first Sydney show.

NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman said the potential commuter chaos was a result of a “weak” Premier.

“It gives us another day to continue our negotiations and hopefully get people where they need to go,” she told 2GB.

The union is demanding a 32% pay increase, but negotiations have failed to reach a resolution, prompting criticism from transport authorities and the public.

Sydney commuters fume

Meanwhile, Sydney residents have vented their frustration about the strikes.

Sydney DJ Ben Corthorn labelled the city’s train system as a “joke”.

The 22-year-old relies on trains from Pennant Hills station or Chatswood Metro every weekend to get to and from jobs, but his plans have been derailed this weekend.

“I have a couple of house parties I was supposed to get to so I will either have to hitch a ride with a mate or catch an Uber now,” he said.

“It’s highly inconvenient. I think the transport system here is a joke and pretty stupid.”

Adam Jones, currently on holiday from the UK with his partner Ffion and children — one-year-old Logan and four-year-old George — had planned to visit Sydney’s most famous sights in coming days.

The family has now hired a car instead to drive to the NSW South Coast in a bid to salvage their holiday plans.

However they empathise with a situation they are well familiar with back home.

“If it’s similar to the UK where they [workers] are trying to get more money, I’d say it’s justified. If they’re working hard enough they should be paid for it,” Mr Jones said.

Musician and teacher Ally McMahon, who doesn’t hold a driver’s licence, relies on the trains to get to work in and around the city in the outer suburbs.

“I’m also always carrying equipment around with me so doing that on a cramped bus will probably make it nearly impossible to get around,” he said.

“Naturally everyone’s plans are hindered, which makes it inconvenient. We’ve just got to hope that it’s not going to be forever, that it’s not going to happen again and that a solution and a compromise is met.”

Ben Rogers, 55, from Mortdale works in hospitality said the strikes were “not only an inconvenience” but has put employees at risk of “losing their pay”.

“There’s about 150 people (who I work with) and about 90 per cent of them catch public transport to get to and from work,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“That’s really a Saturday and Friday shift that will really be affected, guaranteed.”

Ben Rogers, at Circular Quay Station. He said the strikes meant people would lose out on pay. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Mr Rogers said he didn’t hold the strikes against the drivers “because they’re only doing as they’re told”.

“They’re being dictated to do what they must do, but I just find it ridiculous that you get a 32 per cent pay rise over three years when general people get one or two per cent pay rise every year,” he said.

“To be quite honest with you, and I’ve been taking public transport since I was 10 years old ... bus drivers do a much better job, they’ve got a lot more to take care of (and) navigate traffic.”

When asked if the strikes were holding commuters to ransom, Mr Rogers said “yes they are”.

“Nurses are entitled to more money for sure, first responders, police, they’re in the front line,” he said.

“These guys are not on the front line, that’s just my opinion.”

Mr Rogers said people are now going to have to find alternatives to get to concerts and sporting games over the weekend.

“They’ve probably already bought their tickets already, there’s no refund,” he said.

Professional services worker Erik Reading, 21, remained optimistic despite the “inconvenience” the strikes have caused his workplace.

Erik Reading has to cancel a team session. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Karthik Chandrasekaran, is in the dark on what the industrial action means for him. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

He and his fellow colleagues had a “team day planned” and were forced to move the arrangement to next week and Mr Reading will instead work from home.

However, he said it will be “most annoying on the weekend”.

Living in Sydney’s inner west, Mr Reading said “getting into the city ... is going to be a real pain”.

Instead, he will be forced to change plans and get in the car and drive.

IT worker Karthik Chandrasekaran’s office has returned to working three days a week from the office, including Friday.

Living in the Hills District, Mr Chandrasekaran is still in the unknown as he is waiting on confirmation from his boss to determine whether he will be allowed to work from home on Friday.

The train strike will also affect business.

Julia Campbell, who owns Master Specs on the concourse of Wynyard station, said she was concerned that her customers with pre-booked appointments would be at risk of missing their appointments.

She was also concerned about whether her staff could make it to work on time, if at all.

“My staff might not be able to get in on time, and we’re going to lose sales which is already affecting the city with people not working full time,” she said.

“The customers that can get here won’t be able to be serviced properly … because we’ll be shortstaffed.”

Ms Campbell said her store “will definitely be open” but admitted she was “worried” about future strikes.

“As a city business you’re always worried about strikes,” she said.

“It seems like the last lot were only a few months ago, so yeah it worries me it’s going to affect us ongoing especially around Christmas.”

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said the shutdown would cause major disruption to millions of people. Photo: Tom Parrish

The planned rail shutdown has sparked backlash, with frustrated Sydneysiders venting on The Daily Telegraph’s coverage of the matter.

Many criticised Transport Minister Jo Haylen and the Minns government for failing to avert the disruption.

“Haylen, the gift that keeps giving, is there anything that isn’t a mess once she is involved?” one user wrote.

“There’s not enough buses to cover the loss of the Bankstown line. How on earth do they think they’ll cover for the whole network? Gladys would not have let this happen when she was transport minister,” said another.

Chris Minns and Jo Haylen. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

“Where is this all going to end? The Government must stop giving in to union demands,” another vented.

Some commenters demanded stronger action against the union.

“Held to ransom, using our tax-funded trains, should be illegal,” another commented.

“Who is the employer and who is the employee?” a user questioned.

“Costing our economy billions,” another highlighted.

“Albanese empowered the unions and now the unions are running amok,” one commented.

The Minns government and Sydney Trains remain hopeful for a resolution before Christmas, but with the network poised to grind to a halt this weekend, tensions between commuters, the government, and unions continue to escalate.

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