Sydney train strike: Commuters face disruption as workers stage overtime ban in pay row
Updated
Sydney train commuters are navigating crowded carriages and limited services this morning as the rail union and NSW Government return to the negotiation table ahead of Monday's planned 24-hour strike over pay.
Key points:
- Sydney's train timetable will be significantly reduced from tomorrow
- The main disruptions will be on Monday, when workers go on a 24-hour strike
- However, there are questions about the legitimacy of the union's text-message voting system
More than 1,000 trains across the city have been cancelled as Sydney Train workers stage an overtime ban following a 'yes' vote from union members on Wednesday to take industrial action.
Commuters have been warned to expect less frequent services as a result, with intercity train services based on a Saturday timetable and about 500 buses on stand-by to deal with overcrowding at train stations.
Although some commuters reported only "a little slower than normal" services, others said they had faced significant delays and crowded trains.
Stuart Skene said his usual train from Hazelwood station in Sydney was standing room only and was running hourly with a four-car train instead of eight.
"It was pretty claustrophobic and stuffy, actually," he said.
"At one point I was contemplating getting off just because there was already so many people on the train and that was really early in the trip."
Despite the delays, Mr Skene said he supported the industrial action by Sydney rail workers.
"I'd like to see a fair offer made to the staff, but one that's actually going to ... start to improve wage stagnation across all of Sydney, all of Australia," he said.
Other commuters said they were already bracing for a 24-hour strike planned for Monday.
"It'll impact on Monday - I'm from the Central Coast, so we'll be looking at alternatives to come to Sydney," Patricia Hamilton said.
Negotiations resume
Meanwhile, talks to end the rail dispute will continue this morning and rail unions are expecting Transport Minister Andrew Constance to join the meeting at 11:00am.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has been locked in negotiations with Sydney Trains and the NSW Government for about a fortnight.
The Government launched legal action on Wednesday to stop Monday's 24-hour strike action after workers rejected the latest offer of pay and conditions via a text message poll of the 6,000 NSW members of the RTBU.
However the Secretary of the RTBU, Alex Classens, said the door was still open for a resolution.
"I'm hopeful that by him [Mr Constance] coming to the table we'll continue to do what I've said we would do - continue to negotiate in good faith and see if we can reach some solution," he said.
Workers have been offered a 2.75 per cent pay increase, less than half what they originally asked for.
Mr Constance said that the offer to the union was reasonable and has asked them to call off Monday's strike.
"Call off your strike," he said.
"Put the people of New South Wales first and allow the workforce to be consulted on what has been described as a reasonable offer to the 9,500 award employees of Sydney Trains."
Labor Leader Luke Foley said it was time for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to step in.
"She's been absent from the table through all of this. We're three days away from the first passenger rail strike this century, it's about time she got involved," he said.
Topics: industrial-relations, rail-transport, industry, unions, sydney-2000
First posted
