James O’Doherty: Sydney is being squeezed by the threat of rail strikes

The Minns government has brought Sydney’s rail chaos on itself by abolishing the wage cap, with every public sector union now demanding their pound of flesh, writes James O’Doherty.

When Transport Minister Jo Haylen labelled 24-hour weekend running of Sydney’s trains a “boa constrictor” squeezing the life out of the rail network last week, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union boasted about it.

The union changed its profile picture to show a large snake curling around a train carriage, patting themselves on the back for being able to squeeze out a concession from the government.

Just over seven days later, the “boa constrictor” turned into a python strike, leaving millions of passengers stranded, out of pocket, or at the very least mightily inconvenienced.

A ceasefire has been brokered, for now, but for many the damage is already done.

Businesses had already factored in staff working from home, catering orders for CBD hospitality businesses were already cancelled, and commuters had already made other plans.

We could also be right back here in two weeks.

The threat of rail strikes is still slithering across Sydney. Image: ChatGPT

This problem is the government’s own making, aided by a militant union with a new secretary flexing his muscles — and a minister more interested in opening the last government’s projects than focusing on her own workers.

While the union and the government were blaming each other this week, here are the facts.

One: the RTBU was prepared to hold millions hostage by taking sideshow industrial actions designed only to further their wage claim.

Two: the Minns government has brought this on itself by abolishing the wage cap, with every public sector union now demanding their pound of flesh.

The fact that negotiations to reach a compromise went right down the wire is an indictment on both sides.

The outcome that was eventually reached just kicks the can down the road, leaving every possibility of further chaos in two weeks.

This is no way to run a rail network.

Nurses and midwives held a 24-hour statewide strike on November 13. Picture: Gaye Gerard

On paper, there have been fewer days lost to industrial action under Premier Chris Minns so far than in the last 18 months of the Coalition government.

Not that you would know it.

Teachers, nurses, fireys and paramedics have all imposed work bans in a bid to get a better deal.

The threatened rail strike was set to be unprecedented in scale; Sydney Trains CEO Matt Longland warned it would the biggest shutdown in his memory.

RTBU secretary Toby Warnes tried to insist that his members were ready to work, if the government ran trains 24 hours a day this weekend. Without the extra services, members would have downed tools.

It might seem odd that a union boss was arguing for his members to work the graveyard shift, but the union’s action were a red herring.

It was actually designed to make it all but impossible for Sydney Trains bosses to keep the network running, while pretending that members were doing the right thing by commuters.

Jo Haylen and Chris Minns talk to the media about the train strike negotiations. Picture: ABC

The government’s argument that running the network through the night is unsustainable is not without merit: Remember when the network went into meltdown in September because of a cracked rail at Central station? If the crack had not been discovered while the trains were asleep, things could have been far worse.

However, Minister Haylen’s approach – digging her head in the sand and pleading with the union – did not pass muster.

Warnes this week said that it was easier to negotiate with former minister David Elliott than her Labor successor, a view shared across the movement.

There is a growing frustration among the unions that the Minns government is failing to deliver what it promised before the election.

Minns is telling unions that if they want a pay rise, they need to find cuts to fund them.

This worked for NSW Police, who gave up a gold-plated injury compensation scheme giving massive lump-sum payments to cops who were forced to quit due to a total permanent disability.

The insurance premiums the state government was paying on that scheme were set to cost almost $900 million a year by 2027-28. By reforming the injury scheme, the government freed up enough cash to give officers pay rises of up to 40 per cent.

Teachers have also got historic deals by offering up their own savings.

In this case, negotiations have taken so long because the RTBU was not proposing any meaningful or concrete measures to make up the $2 billion that their requested wage rises would cost.

Minns can hardly give rail workers what they want while standing firm against nurses who are demanding their own deal.

What it all boils down to is a weekend of industrial chaos that was avoided by the narrowest of margins.

The snake has been charmed, for now, but millions of commuters won’t cop this kind of uncertainty for long.

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