Government-union talks underway to mend dispute over train network

The rail union and NSW government are locked in crisis talks on Wednesday as both parties try to resolve the ongoing dispute which threatens to cripple Sydney’s train network this week.

Crisis talks aimed at stopping the industrial action crippling Sydney’s rail networks are underway, in a bid to head-off further commuter chaos scheduled in coming days and next week.

Senior members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union have met with Transport Minister David Elliott on Wednesday morning in a bid to stop industrial actions which led to massive delays on train tracks on Tuesday.

Worse is set to come, with services to be slashed by up to 70 per cent on Thursday and Friday due to union action’s including a ban on operating foreign-built trains.

Similar action will be taken by the union next week after negotiations with the NSW Government over pay and work conditions stalled last week.

Centre to the issue is the $2.88b New Intercity Fleet, which remains in storage while the union refuses to operate it over concerns it is unsafe.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union officials are

meeting with Transport Minister David Elliott today. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The government has previously stated the independent safety regulator has designated the trains as safe, but the union has refused to operate them unless alterations are made.

Premier Dominic Perrottet indicated yesterday he would potentially consider the union’s demands, in a backflip on earlier government positions refusing to cave to the RTBU’s calls.

“The cost of the trains not being on the tracks increases every day…I want the trains on the tracks…as quickly as possible,” he said on Tuesday.

It comes as Sydney’s trains reverted to a regular timetable on Wednesday, relieving commuters of lengthy delays and slow services.

All rail services will operate as normal across the city for the next 24 hours with no major disruptions planned as part of the week-long industrial action launched by the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union.

But passengers are being warned that the worst is yet to come.

Trains ran slowly and with reduced services on Tuesday, with much the same expected for the rest of the week. Picture: David Swift

From Thursday peak services will be cut by up to 70 per cent, with Transport NSW putting a dramatically reduced train timetable in place.

It comes after nurses, midwives and rail workers kicked off four days of mayhem for Sydneysiders on Tuesday, taking industrial action in a dispute with the state government over pay and conditions.

Half of Sydney’s peak-hour services were slashed on Tuesday, Transport NSW confirmed, as delays caused frustration among passengers.

Tuesday also saw nurses and midwives walk off the job, while teachers at public and Catholic schools will strike tomorrow.

Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association met at Town Hall to demand better patient-to-staff ratios and a pay riseof seven per cent.

The government has offered a pay rise of about three per cent and a $3000 bonus.

“Hear us Perrottet, nurses are not okay,” they chanted.

Teachers will strike across the state on Thursday as their unions battle with the government over pay rates and working conditions.

The strike comes at the end of the school year’s second term as students continue to be taught in makeshift classes or not at all because of teacher shortages.

week over a pay dispute with the state government. Picture: Jenny Evans

Nurses and teachers are also striking this

The protests will take place in 14 towns across NSW and a large rally is planned for Sydney’s CBD.

Meanwhile, NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos (pictured) said thousands of lessons were not being taughtbecause of staff shortages.

He said in one case there were as many as 56 students in one year 12 English class for four days in a row due to staff shortages, while engineering, design and technology classes were being cancelled.

“We have children across NSW missing out every single day because of the teacher shortages, including those in year 12 which is the most vital year of their schooling,” Mr Gavrielatos said.

Tuesday’s action resulted in train drivers sticking to a 60km/h max limit, with Transport NSW responding by cutting services by up to 50 per cent at peak times.

Jessica McKenzie, 39, was one of those caught in the action after getting the train to Martin Place for an appointment.

Commuters crammed on the trains which were running at slower speeds. Picture: Twitter

The industrial action also led to delays and cancelled train services. Picture: Twitter

“They were very slow today, I’ll probably be late for my appointment,” she said.

James Stewart, 27, made it to work on time but said it took longer than usual.

“I still made it to work on time but I did notice them moving much slower,” he said.

It’s the latest spillover from stalled negotiations between the government and the union over pay, working conditions and the New Intercity Fleet.

The refusal of the government to budge on making changes to the fleet demanded by the union has been the main flashpoint of the dispute so far — although Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday indicated he would potentially be open to making changes in a bid to get the new trains on track.

“The cost of the trains not being on the tracks increases every day … I want the trains on the tracks … as quickly as possible,” he said.

It comes as Transport Minister David Elliott, while on radio with John Laws, invited Opposition Leader Chris Minns to inspect the new fleet, in a bid to quell union action.

“I’ve invited (Mr) Minns to inspect the NIF so he can see how safe they are and use his position as Labor leader to appeal to the union to stop trying to waste taxpayers money,” Mr Elliott told The Telegraph.

A spokeswoman for Chris Minns said no invite had been extended to the Opposition Leader.

“Instead of playing games on air, perhaps Mr Elliot should focus on fixing the safety concerns of the train drivers and get the network running again,” she said.

Transport NSW was contacted for comment.

Frustrated commuters take to social media on Tuesday

On Tuesday, frustrated passengers took to Twitter to show the mayhem unfolding with people squeezed into carriages standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

“Sydney trains, what an embarrassing mess,” one wrote.

“This week is going to be chaos, simple as that,” another wrote.

Trains are running at the reduced speed of 60km/h. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

The state’s rail chaos is set to get even worse next week, with the union revealing services could be cut to just 30 per cent for three days amid a bitter dispute with the government – leading to concerns the entire network could be shut down.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) are taking industrial action on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week, which will lead to services being slashed by up to 75 per cent by the end of the week.

RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said he would hear back from union members on Tuesday regarding future action, but said it was unlikely this week’s actions would be withdrawn.

“I’m predicting an outcome will be (members saying) ‘forget about cancelling the industrial action, keep going and escalating’,” he said.

“After that, I can’t predict what’s going to happen – that will be determined by the delegates and the members as to how far we go.”

Alex Claassens, the RTBU secretary, has warned of union members’ anger. Picture: Justin Lloyd

He said the cutting of services to 30 per cent could result in the government shutting down the entire network, as happened for 24 hours in February.

Paul Nicolaou, the executive director of Business Sydney, said the latest actions were a crippling blow to business.

“The city is trying to recover after two years of Covid and now the unions are holding businesses to ransom,” Mr Nicolaou said.

“This is another nail in our economy.

“People are going to be working from home, they’re not going to come in if they can’t come in, cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs are all going to suffer.”

Transport Minister David Elliott was contacted for comment.

Major disruptions are expected across the train network on Tuesday, with trains running on a slower speed. There will be reduced services of up to 50% during the peak period. Delays are expected so allow plenty of extra travel time. More info: https://t.co/zR2fVgdyFDpic.twitter.com/HX5olSZv7P

— Transport for NSW (@TransportforNSW) June 27, 2022

Train services to be slashed across Sydney

Thousands of commuters will be left stranded this week with a swath of train services to be slashed ahead of upcoming industrial action by the rail union.

Travellers hoping to use the city’s rail network have been warned to have a back-up plan and avoid unnecessary travel, with an amended timetable of vastly reduced services brought in as school holidays begin.

It comes after the latest round of negotiations between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and the NSW Government stalled on Friday, with the union subsequently announcing a raft of industrial action for the coming week.

On Tuesday, train crews will cap their speed at 60km/h in a “go slow” movement for 24 hours.

Union members from Thursday also won’t cover shifts outside of the regular depots they’re based at, while on Friday they’ll enact a ban on operating foreign-made trains.

Industrial action is expected to continue next week. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

In response to Tuesday’s go-slow, Transport NSW has cut trains – with a reduction of up to 50 per cent of normal services during peak periods.

Transport NSW also estimates that up to 70 to 75 per cent of Sydney Trains services will have to be cut over Thursday and Friday due to union action, with limited replacement buses.

The long-running dispute between the rail union and the government culminated in a snap 24-hour shutdown of the train network in February.

The latest withdrawal of services comes after a late-night Friday meeting between the union and the government turned sour, with the union claiming the government tried to “bribe” them to operate the $2.88b New Intercity Fleet (NIF).

The union has refused to operate the South Korean-built fleet over safety concerns, despite the rolling stock being given the green tick by the Office of the National Safety Regulator.

RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said he would hear back from delegates on Monday about the appetite for further action and potential strikes.

The action will likely throw Tuesday, Thursday and Friday commutes into disarray. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

“I’m always reluctant (to strike) – but what do you do? What tools do we have left?” he said.

“If (the government) had sat down with us, reached a proper agreement around fixing the NIF and enterprise bargaining, we would have one of those trains out in the next four weeks, that’s how quickly it could happen.”

A spokeswoman for the NSW Government said they had appealed to the union to drop their industrial action after tabling an enterprise agreement including higher wages and additional leave benefits.

“The Government has engaged in good faith bargaining and offered terms of new enterprise agreements to union officials,” she said.

Transport for NSW Chief Operations Officer, Howard Collins, said the impacts of industrial action would get progressively worse over the week.

“We continue to work to limit the impact on customers, many of whom will be relying on public transport as we head into the school holiday period, and where possible provide alternative services,” he said.

Originally published as Government-union talks underway to mend dispute over train network