NSW government takes union to Fair Work Commission in attempt to stop industrial action

Dominic Perrottet has asked a watchdog to step in to curtail union action after drivers said they’d refuse to staff foreign-made trains.

The NSW Premier has called for an industrial relations watchdog to force union drivers to staff trains as a long-running rail dispute drags on.

Dominic Perrottet said on Monday his officials had filed an application with the Fair Work Commission to prevent the Rail, Tram and Bus Union from taking more industrial action.

“To continue industrial action shows a lack of good faith,” he said.

“When it gets to the point where it is all about politics, from the unions, our job is to put our people first, and we’ll be seeking those orders.”

The government recently agreed to a union demand to modify a controversial train fleet that the RTBU had refused to staff because it said the trains were not safe.

But the vow to spend $264m to fix the Korean-built New Intercity Fleet wasn’t enough to make the union stop protesting – the RTBU said it would continue to refuse to operate any foreign-made trains.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the Fair Work Commission had been contacted. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

RTBU state secretary Alex Claassens has demanded the promise in writing, separately from a new enterprise deal that’s being negotiated.

Mr Perrottet asserted that his word should be good enough for now.

“I’m the Premier of the state. We’ve made a commitment to modify the trains,” he told reporters.

“We’ve said that publicly, we’re making that commitment. It should be part of the enterprise agreement, that’s where the discussions should be.”

The FWC application will ask the watchdog to rule on whether the continued industrial action should be allowed.

The $2.88bn train fleet has been sitting idle in maintenance facilities during the long standoff between the government and the union, with both sides accusing the other of playing “political games”.

The dispute between the rail union and the state government has dragged on for months. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The union claims cameras on the new fleet are low quality and obstructed by opening doors while also arguing the trains don’t allow guards to check if departure is safe by sticking their heads out.

The RTBU previously said its members would not operate any foreign-made trains on Wednesday and Friday this week.

“This isn’t the first time the NSW government has promised it will fix the safety issues,” Mr Claassens said on Friday.

“Rail workers and commuters have been burnt too many times to believe what one minister in one meeting says. We need to see the whole package in writing to make sure this isn’t just another case of the NSW government playing political games.”