NSW Opal card readers to be shut off ‘indefinitely’ from next week in fresh industrial action

Sydney commuters will ride for free ’indefinitely’, with union pointing to the figure at the ‘pigheadedness’ of government.

The NSW Transport Minister has lashed out after a rail union said it would shut down ticket-checking machines at train stations.

Deactivating the opal card system for a week will make riding free for commuters, and “cause a headache for the NSW government”, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union hopes.

But Transport Minister David Elliott said that instead of targeting him and the Premier, the shutdown will hit taxpayers.

“The union is carrying on as if they are personally targeting the Premier and I,” he said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s not coming out of my pocket. The union is forcing Transport to bleed money, hardly the sort of thing you would do if you’re asking us to invest more.”

The opal blackout will be part of a set of new industrial actions that will begin September 21 and continue “indefinitely”.

Opal card readers will be indefinitely closed at NSW train stations from next week. Picture: NCA Newswire /Gaye Gerard

The opal blackout will be part of a set of new industrial actions that will begin September 21 and continue “indefinitely”. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“This will allow commuters to travel around the network for free. If there is no way to tap on or off, then they cannot be fined. This action is coupled with our transport officers not issuing fines and cautions,” RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said in a statement to union members on Tuesday.

“You can turn the gates off in any way under this action. For example, by pressing the emergency egress button, flicking the internal switch on legacy gates, or tripping the circuit breaker for the stand-alone opal ‘poles’.

“We need to make sure that all gates get switched off and stay off. If anyone comes to your station to switch the opal readers back on, please let us know immediately as this may constitute adverse action.”

Mr Classens hoped the move would get the government to reconsider its “stalling negotiations and picking public fights”.

“All we want is safe trains and fair wages and conditions, but it appears the NSW government is more interested in playing political games than in delivering the safe trains and fair wages and conditions commuters and workers deserve,” he said.

“Turning off the Opal machines will cause a headache for the NSW government and management and will also have the added bonus of giving free travel to our commuters, who have unfortunately had to bear much of the brunt of the NSW government’s continued pigheadedness on this issue.”

It is not the first time the rail union has attempted to target the government’s pockets.

RTBU station staff left gates open at stations across the state and stopped issuing fines and cautions, as part of a wave of industrial action throughout August.

But opal card readers were left on and most passengers still decided to tap on, despite there being no enforcement in place.

NSW commuters could travel for free due to new industrial action from the RTBU. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

The opal blackout will be part of a set of new industrial actions that will begin September 21 and continue “indefinitely”. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Wednesday that 90 per cent of travellers still tapped on.

“That just shows that the people of NSW just want to get on with it,” he told reporters.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson thanked the majority of commuters for still tapping on when gates were left open.

“Between August 13 and September 2 there were approximately 670,000 tap-ons daily on an average weekday in the Greater Sydney area,” they said.

“This compares against the daily weekday average of approximately 770,000 tap-ons in May, when there was no industrial action.

“Transport for NSW thanks the vast majority of Sydney rail customers who did the right thing by continuing to tap on and off with their Opal cards during the recent protected industrial action.”

Other actions the union are taking in September include a ban on wearing lanyards and name badges, a ban on making announcements regarding opal processes or issues, a ban on station staff participating in online training or online instructions and ban on non-safety critical rail emergency management.

These will also start from Wednesday next week and continue indefinitely.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW Secretary has notified NSW and Sydney Trains of their planned industrial action. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

The RTBU and state government’s dispute is centred on a new pay deal, which has resulted in multiple strikes actions, commuter chaos and heated negotiations.

Tensions reached a breaking point at the end of August after 70 per cent of Sydney’s train fleet did not run on the final day of the month following the union’s refusal to operate foreign-made trains for 24 hours.

This led to an infuriated Mr Perrottet threatening to tear up their enterprise agreement and take the matter to the Fair Work Commission.

But the RTBU subsequently applied to the Fair Work Commission for good faith bargaining orders following the Premier’s ultimatum.

In doing so, the RTBU hoped to bring the government back to the bargaining table and stop it from following through on its attempt to terminate the enterprise agreement.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet threatened to tear up the enterprise agreement following a wave of industrial action in August. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

The Fair Work Commission hearing will continue on Wednesday following two days of conciliation.

The RTBU is seeking an annual pay bump of 3.5 per cent for rail workers, while the government has offered an increase of 3 per cent.

The state government also committed to addressing the union’s safety concerns with a $2.8bn intercity train fleet, which has been left to collect dust while workers refuse to operate it.

Transport for NSW was contacted for comment.