Sydney trains lost bids to halt industrial measures taken by public transport members, creating a knock-on effect for commuters who are expected to have long train delays.
The NSW government took the Railways, Trains and Bus Union to the Fair Labor Commission after what it described as an “unprecedented” number of employees calling sick on Friday.
95.3% of all services on Friday were delayed or cancelled, with NSW transport falling to 862 train drivers and guards who have not reported normal shifts.
However, the committee rejected the government’s argument on Sunday, saying there were no patterns of coordinated action.
Annoyed interim transport minister John Graham urged train workers to stop acting, saying it would disrupt the transport network.
“Industrial action negotiations have been going on for 10 months. The government’s view is that it’s time to stop (and therefore) the impact it has on commuters and businesses,” he told reporters on Sunday. .
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“This dispute over time was about a variety of things. At one point it was about running the train 24 hours a day, and at another it was about free fares.
“We can’t afford bells or whistles here.”
The $4,500 bonus at the end of the year has become a sticking point after the former Union government agreed to pay it to the union in 2022 to end prolonged industrial action.
“There is no blank check. You cannot sign a blank check to resolve this dispute. If so, there will be another demand and we will return here again in six months,” Graham said. Ta.
However, union NSW Director Toby Warnes said the government’s lost track record on the committee indicates that workers are entitled to substantial compensation.
“This really is in the government courts, giving commuters certainty and not using commuters as football to promote industrial strategy,” he said at a press conference on Sunday.
Warnes said the government’s boring tone would not show up to put workers outside further and work on Monday.
He also aimed to characterize the government against union negotiation tactics.
“This idea of us regaining demand in six months is totally nonsense and we can tell people in NSW that new requests will not come back in six months,” he said. .
The transport of NSW secretary Josh Murray apologized to commuters before his department vowed to do everything they could to smooth out the mess.
“Sunday nights can be hard enough to prepare for the week without thinking about the uncertainty of how you’ll get to work and how long it will take,” he says. Ta.
Union officials initially pushed for a 32% wage increase over the past four years, but the government provided 15% over the same period, including an increase in federal mandatory retirement pensions.
The union later offered around 20% counter offers over three years, withdrawing after legal action was launched.
The rail network typically transports around 1 million people per day, and commuters face repeated confusion as a 10-month long negotiation drags on.
