Almost 1000 senior jobs slashed from Transport for NSW in massive restructure

Almost 1000 staff will be slashed from one state’s transport authority in a massive restructure.

Almost 1000 staff will be slashed from Transport for NSW, weeks after the state government reached a landmark deal with the rail unions.

Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said in an email that about 950 senior service manager and award roles would be cut.

This is in addition to the loss of 300 senior executive roles announced in June, with Mr Murray conceding Wednesday’s announcement would be “concerning” for many in the transport department.

“We have to get back to a model that is sustainable for the long term, delivers on our commitments, and provides appropriate career paths for our people,” he said in the email.

“That also means reducing duplication, removing unclear reporting lines, and ensuring all our people are clear on what’s expected of them.

“Change of this scale is never easy, and it affects all our people, their work, their teams, and their sense of certainty about the future.”

Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said about 950 senior service manager and award roles would be cut. Picture: NewsWire/Monique Harmer

Addressing the restructure, NSW Transport Minister John Graham said “change of this nature is difficult”.

“We thank all staff at Transport for NSW for accepting these important changes to set the department up for the future on a more sustainable footing,” he said.

“Labor promised to prioritise the frontline services that help people across the state get around every day and this is part of that funding rebalance.”

Public Service Association General Secretary Stewart Little said the union was aware of the reduction and details on specific positions to be cut would come after a consultation period.

He said he expected staff to be redeployed to “minimise job cuts”.

Frontline staff are not understood to be affected. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

“With the NSW government advertising more than 25,000 roles per year, the PSA expects this policy to be utilised in its entirety, and will support any affected members throughout this process.”

Mr Little said the PSA was also seeking further information from TfNSW around proposed “early exit” and “mobility options” for some workers.

“The PSA notes the announcement does reference that TfNSW has already delivered a reduction of 200, of a total of 300, Senior Executive Roles, and we are seeking more information on the cost savings already achieved by this process because if savings need to be found, they should be made from these areas first and foremost.

“The PSA will be arranging meetings with delegates and members to discuss this announcement and we encourage our members to come along and contribute.”

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman called on the government to identify which jobs were going to be cut, and how they were going to “protect commuters”.

“We’ve already got suburban train services running at five year lows in terms of reliability,” he said.

“On regional transport, reliability is as low as 60 per cent.

“We are going to see frontline impacts from these cuts.”

Asked if the former Coalition government had allowed the executive level of TfNSW to become bloated, Mr Speakman said: “Well, I wasn’t transport minister”.

“I can’t identify each and every job that was recruited under our government,” Mr Speakman said.

It comes just weeks after the state government reached a landmark pay deal with the Combined Rail Unions, ending months of industrial action.

NSW Premiere Chris Minns came into office vowing to cut the number of senior public servants. Picture: NewsWire/John Appleyard

Transport for NSW handles policy, planning, and regulation for transport systems across the state, including road, rail, ferry and light rail services.

It was revealed last week that the NSW Department of Customer of Service was also reportedly preparing to retrench as many as 40 full-time staff.

Premier Chris Minns pledged in the lead-up to the 2023 state election to cut 15 per cent of senior executives in the NSW public service.

It is understood the cuts to TfNSW are pursuant to that goal, and follow a move to streamline services by reducing the number of divisions.

Labor came under fire last year when it also slashed 200 jobs within Service NSW.

The job losses came about as part of a restructure within the Cyber Security, Partnerships, Projects and Insights, Procurement and Contact centres.

The move faced fierce opposition at the time from NSW Liberals, who called it a “dismantling” of Service NSW, and from the Public Service Association.