29.06.2022
3 min read

Travel tribulations set to end as NSW government backs down on rail union’s demands

Commuter chaos could soon be eased for frustrated NSW rail passengers - but now the ‘ball is in the union’s court’.

Sydney commuters brace for chaos amid climate protests and train strikes.

Travel tribulations could soon be eased for frustrated NSW commuters after the state government backed away from its long-term dispute with the rail union.

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott announced the government had tabled a peace offering for the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and called on it to ensure commuters faced minimal delays going forward.

Rail workers began four days of action on Tuesday by limiting trains to a maximum speed of 60km/h, as the union ramped up a long-running safety dispute with the government over a fleet of Korean-built rolling stock.

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Elliott on Wednesday said the government would provide $264 million to make the union-demanded changes to its new intercity trains in a bid to stop the industrial action and get the new fleet on the tracks.

Fed up commuters may still face disruptions to trains on Thursday, but Elliott said Friday services should return to normal. However, the “ball is in (the union’s) court”.

“My expectation from the union of course is that they commence to wind back their industrial action,” Elliott said on Wednesday.

“We have agreed to their request and all of the original discussions and negotiations in relation to their allowances and pay have also been agreed to.

“The NSW government expects the union to terminate industrial action straight away in the best interest of the community.”

Elliott said if the union accepts the offer, the modifications will begin in August, with trials of the train to take place within the next two months.

“Am I happy about spending millions of dollars to modify what the safety regulators have said are perfectly good trains? Absolutely not,” Elliott said.

“But the cost of this industrial action, the cost to the NSW economy, the inconvenience to the commuters has to be front of mind.”

RTBU secretary Alex Claassens said while it is fantastic the government agreed to rectify the safety issues on the new fleet, all planned industrial action is still going ahead “until further notice”.

“Rail workers and commuters have been burnt too many times to believe what one Minister in one meeting says,” Claassens said on Wednesday.

“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.”

Claassens said the union would not call off the action until it sees the commitment in writing and members have their say.

“We are all very hopeful that the NSW Government’s offer is genuine and that we can all get back to what we do best – moving the people of NSW around the state safely,” he said.

NSW train drivers have begun four days of industrial action, limiting speeds to a maximum of 60km/h. Credit: AAP

Transport for NSW warned Sydney Trains services could be reduced by 70 per cent during peak periods on Thursday.

A union ban on foreign-owned trains on Friday will also stop the use of 70 per cent of the fleet, meaning blown out travel times for commuters.

Lengthy delays saw stations packed out with commuters caught up in the dispute.

The major government backdown comes despite Premier Dominic Perrottet saying the national rail safety regulator had advised the government the fleet was safe to operate.

Perrottet on Tuesday said he was incredibly disappointed at industrial action by the rail union.

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