Sydney commuters face further agony with trains to go slow on Western, regional lines

Rail workers have been offered a 15 per cent pay rise over four years but the union has vowed to press ahead with industrial action while it considers the offer. See the main lines impacted from Wednesday.

Rail workers would get a 15 per cent pay rise over four years under a wage deal offered by the Minns government in a bid to end long-running industrial chaos, but the union has vowed to press ahead with industrial action while it considers the offer.

The offer would give workers a 13 per cent salary boost, plus an extra one per cent increase to superannuation, and another one per cent boost paid for by merging Sydney Trains and NSW Trainlink.

Despite the offer, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union have vowed to continue with plans to slow key lines across the NSW by 23km/h from Wednesday onwards, with actions expected to intensify by the end of the week.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the offer “represents a real increase to take-home pay for our rail workers”.

“This is the first time in the process that we have made clear to the entire rail workforce the government’s approach and the government’s offer,” Ms Haylen said.

“This offer is 13 per cent across the four years, plus 1 per cent in super and 1 per cent through the mutual gains bargaining process that has been a result of agreement to merge our rail entities, Sydney trains and NSW trains, over the course of the agreement, and that results in additional 1 per cent that the government is able to put on the table for the workforce.”

Illuminated signs at Martin Place station are warning commuters of the coming disruption.

Sydney Trains CEO Matt Longland said the RTBU vowed to continue with the industrial action despite the offer and will have until Thursday to respond, prolonging further pain for Sydney commuters.

“We’re keen to bring this process to a close as quickly as possible, as the Secretary mentioned, we have requested that the rail unions step back from industrial action whilst they’re considering this offer,” Mr Longland said.

“Unfortunately, that offer hasn’t been accepted in terms of the industrial action. Industrial action will continue on the network and will actually intensify from later this week, we’ve got a series of bans taking place from the rail, tram and bus union, starting Wednesday, continuing on Thursday and Friday.

“Expect that later this week that there will be an increased number of cancellations.

“We will continue to run a normal timetable across the rail network, but we’re asking everyone to allow additional time when they travel as a result of this industrial action that will intensify from tomorrow.”

On Monday, the NSW government vowed to again dock pay from rail workers who don’t do their jobs as their rail union’s fight escalates again this week.

On Tuesday, Mr Longland doubled down on the promise after Ms Haylen confirmed workers who partake in the action will be docked pay.

“Our approach is that we will no longer accept partial work from our staff — the staff that are coming to work,” he said.

“We expect them to undertake their normal duties, or they won’t be coming to work and they won’t be paid specifically (concerning) the action on the slow running of trains.”

Train drivers plan to institute a go-slow across Sydney’s train network, precipitating yet more commuter agony with outer Western Sydney and regional residents to be hit hardest.

From Wednesday, drivers will slow trains by 23km/h, where the speed limit is 80 km/h or above, speeds which are usually reached only on the Sydney rail network beyond Parramatta in the west, Glenfield to the southwest, and on the intercity connections to the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and the South Coast.

Express services on the T8 Airport and South Lines will be slowed to 92km/h between Macarthur and Bardwell Park, while Blue Mountains and express T1 Western Line services will slow to 67km/h between Strathfield and Redfern.

The 10 new work bans, which also include a ban on reinstating cancelled services and covering “live” rosters, will bring the total number of active union orders to 35.

Electronic billboards at train stations including Martin Place have been lit up with warnings about the “expected” “delays and cancellations” to come.

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said the latest round of industrial action is “shocking” for the business community, “who above all need certainty” that their employees will come to work on time and customers will be there to buy their goods and services.

“It is beyond doubt that Sydney’s commuters are totally fed up with this long running industrial quagmire,” he said.

“This is not good enough for our city, for our citizens or for our visitors.”

Sydney Trains has already resorted to docking the pay of rail employees who refuse to work as directed, denying more than 100 employees hundreds of dollars from their paychecks.

RTBU NSW Secretary Toby Warnes is at odds with the government.

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen can not come to an agreement with the union. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The Minns government has subsequently vowed that any further actions undertaken this week that prevent rail workers from doing their broader role will result in their pay being docked.

The RTBU has taken Sydney Trains to court over what it claims is the “illegal withholding of member’s wages”, filing a claim earlier today in the Federal Court to have the lost pay reimbursed – with interest – and “pecuniary penalties” imposed on Sydney Trains and paid to the union.

In the statement of claim, the union argues Sydney Trains failed to give notice to employees of its intention to dock pay, as required under the Fair Work Act.

“In this period, Sydney Trains engaged in an intermittent practice of directing some

employees who had identified that they were engaging or were proposing to engage in a notified partial work ban on a given shift to leave the workplace for that shift, and failing to pay them the wages they would otherwise have earned,” the claim reads.

“Additionally, in some instances employees who were permitted to and continued to work after engaging in a partial work ban nevertheless had amounts deducted from their pay and recorded as ‘strike’.”

Signs at Martin Place station are warning commuters of the coming disruption.

Commuters at central station as a proposed train dispute rolls out this week.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union claim 41 days have passed since Premier Chris Minns sat down with union representative for a bargaining meeting, outside of the arbitration underway in the Fair Work Commission, and that an offer above 3.5 per cent has never been put on the table.

Commuters at central station as a proposed train dispute rolls out this week. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Zookeeper and wildlife educator Tania Shackleton commutes from Penrith seven days a week, and has been forced to leave home at 3am each day to take into account the impact of union disruption.

The 22-year-old said the train strikes have forced her to reconsider her living arrangements and move to the inner city despite the associated costs, hitting out at the “sooks” in the combined rail unions over the “massive headache” for commuters.

Tania Shackleton, a 22-year-old zookeeper from Penrith, says industrial action on the rail network has forced her to move closer to the city. Picture: Ted Lamb

“If (the trains) aren’t cooperative, it takes such a long time to get to work and it drains the life out of me – I don’t have that work life balance anymore,” she said.

“It’s really frustrating, especially because I’m on a tight schedule every single day and my work relies on me to be there on time. There’s tour groups I have to take care of, husbandry work for animals to do.

“Leaving Central is already really slow, so going (23km/h slower) is going to be crap.”

Commuters at central station as a proposed train dispute rolls out this week. Picture: Jeremy Piper

HOW SLOW WILL YOU GO?

There are over 50 locations across the Sydney rail network with temporary speed restrictions in place due to longstanding industrial action, but from Wednesday things are set to go even slower. Here’s how the go-slow will impact your commute.

T1 Western Line: 80 km/h areas reduced to 57 km/h. Express services reduced to 67km/h between Strathfield and Redfern.

T1 Richmond Line: No impact

T2 Leppington: 80 km/h area between Glenfield, Edmondson Park and Leppington reduced to 57 km/h.

T2 Inner West Line: No impact

T3 Liverpool Line: No impact

T4 Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs: 80 km/h areas reduced to 57 km/h

T5 (Richmond), T6 (Bankstown-Lidcombe) and T7 (Olympic Park Sprint): No impact

T8 Airport and South Line: Express services reduced to 92 km/h between Macarthur and Bardwell Park.

T9 Northern Line: 80 km/h areas reduced to 57 km/h

Blue Mountains Line: Express services reduced to 67km/h between Strathfield and Redfern.

Central Coast and Newcastle Line: 115 km/h areas reduced to 92 km/h

South Coast Line: 80 km/h areas reduced to 57 km/h

Originally published as Sydney commuters face further agony with trains to go slow on Western, regional lines