RTBU and Metro locked in bitter legal dispute over strike action

Tensions are mounting between Victoria’s public transport union and Metro Trains, with the two groups now headed for a bitter court battle over their months-long pay dispute.

Tensions are mounting between Victoria’s public transport union and Metro Trains, with the two groups now headed for a bitter court battle over their months-long pay dispute.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union will fight for its right to go on strike after Metro’s lawyers argued any future industrial action would be illegal.

The stoush first emerged after the RTBU lost a Federal Court battle last month over its plans to keep barriers open at train stations across the network.

Federal Court Justice John Snaden found the union could not encourage commuters to dodge public transport fares and ordered that they distribute posters and newspaper advertisements correcting the record.

But Metro has since argued the RTBU did not do enough to meet these demands and were no longer legally entitled to any industrial action.

The union has vowed to fight for its rights in Federal Court and is expected to argue that many of the orders were impossible to carry out in the time required.

State secretary Luba Grigorovitch said the operator was using “legal technicalities” to stop her members from taking protected action.

“It is no coincidence that Metro is using the same lawyers that represented Patrick Stevedores in the huge waterfront dispute 20 years ago,” she said.

“Workers have no other weapon than industrial action to try to persuade big corporations to agree to fair and decent wages and conditions.

“Every worker, every commuter, every Australian should be outraged at Metro’s threats and attacks on the wages and conditions and democratic rights of public transport workers.

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Metro chief executive Raymond O’Flaherty said the company was committed to providing a competitive wage increase.

“We reject that Metro is somehow responsible for the RTBU not complying with court orders,” he said.

“Our employees want certainty — that’s why we’ve put a fair and reasonable offer with a 14% wage increase to them this week. We want to get this done.

“The agreement is about ensuring Melbourne has a modern railway providing the frequent services that a growing city needs.”