Transport for NSW staff not ruling out ‘widespread industrial action’ after mass sacking plan revealed

Staff working behind the scenes managing one state’s roads, trains, and ferries have not ruled out “widespread industrial action” as 950 jobs are set to be cut.

Senior staff among almost 1000 to be caught up in sweeping redundancies at NSW’s transport authority have not “ruled out widespread industrial action” over the cuts, a union has warned.

Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray announced in an email to staff on Wednesday that some 950 senior service manager roles would be cut in a restructure.

The Public Service Association has since sought to clarify which roles are to be cut, following the slashing of an additional 300 senior executive roles in June.

On Friday, the PSA said it was meeting with affected staff who had not “ruled out widespread industrial action”.

Premier Chris Minns promised that the cuts would not affected performance on Sydney’s train network. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

PSA General Secretary Stewart Little accused Transport Minister John Graham of “running a protection racket” for senior executives.

“He needs to bite the bullet and clear the decks so people who perform direct frontline services keep their jobs,” Mr Little said.

“The truth is it just costs too much to sack these fat cat executives, they’re entitled to voluntary redundancies of 38 weeks pay which can be up to $400,000.

“So, they hang around for years while our members on $75,000 get punted.

“The Minister needs to toughen up and sack a few more of these pen pushers, rather than the hardworking people on $75,000 who keep traffic flowing and trains running.”

TfNSW Secretary Josh Murray announced in an email to staff on Wednesday that some 950 senior service manager roles would be cut. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Mr Graham earlier described the changes as “difficult”, but said they were necessary in order to put TfNSW on a “more sustainable footing” and prioritise frontline staff.

Premier Chris Minns on Thursday promised the cuts would not affect performance on Sydney’s train network, which recently reported one of its worst-ever years.

“I’ve looked and scrutinised these numbers very closely, and I’m not flippant about this,” he said.

“I realise that these are jobs, they’re families, they’re people’s lives and … it’s a difficult decision for the government to make.

“The simple truth, however, was that Transport for NSW grew by 48 per cent over four years – a massive, massive increase in the headcount of that department.

Transport Minister John Graham said the changes were necessary in order to put TfNSW on a ‘more sustainable footing’. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“We need more on-the-ground, frontline public servants doing the difficult but necessary job of providing that service, and that’s where our focus is going.”

The cuts are part of a wider election promise from the Minns Labor government to slash senior public servant roles by 15 per cent.

Labor accused the previous Coalition government of allowing TfNSW, which manages the state’s roads, trains, ferries, and light rail, to become bloated.

On Thursday, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman again called on the NSW government to explain which jobs would be cut, and how they would impact the train network.

“The Premier says that they won’t affect frontline services, but won’t explain how that is,” he said.

“He won’t explain precisely what jobs are going, what their functions are, why they are going, and exactly what measures he is putting in place to protect the travelling public.”

Originally published as Transport for NSW staff not ruling out ‘widespread industrial action’ after mass sacking plan revealed