Sydney’s entire rail system is hours away from a network-wide shutdown as frustrated employees strike for improved pay and safer work conditions.
The Rail, Bus and Tram Union will refuse to man trains for eight hours starting from 8pm on Monday and ending at 4am on Tuesday.
Sydneysiders coming home from Christmas parties, late-night drinks, or work will face chaos as all NSW Trains union members are encouraged to strike.
Sydney’s entire rail system is hours away from a network-wide shutdown as frustrated employees strike for improved pay and safe work conditions (pictured, commuyers
The Rail, Bus and Tram Union will refuse to man trains for eight hours starting from 8pm on Monday and ending at 4am on Tuesday morning
RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said the government’s stubborn refusal to deliver basic safety, hygiene and privatisation asks was ‘disappointing’.
‘This NSW Government’s shocking handling of transport is all being laid to bare at the moment, but rather than moving forward and addressing the obvious failings, the Perrottet Government is insisting on pushing back against workers’ basic safety needs,’ he said.
‘We want basic hygiene, safety and privatisation commitments and we simply can’t let the NSW Government get away with no delivering them.’
He said train workers had put themselves on the line to keep communities moving throughout the pandemic and now wanted the same commitment to their safety.
RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said the government’s stubborn refusal to deliver basic safety, hygiene and privatisation asks is ‘disappointing’ (pictured, Sydney’s Central Station)
Commuters coming home from Christmas parties, late-night drinks or work will face chaos as all NSW Trains Members are encouraged to strike (pictured, Sydney commuters)
Mr Claassens said the strike on Monday would impact services throughout the state, except for freight trains.
‘We are pulling out all the stops to ensure that vital freight movement is not impacted at all though, so people’s Christmas presents and other vital goods will still get through,’ he said.
‘This isn’t what we want to be doing. No one likes industrial action, but we can’t allow our basic safety, hygiene and privatisation asks to go ignored.’
In addition to the strike, Sydney Trains announced it would close two major lines over the festive period for maintenance, with replacement buses to pick up the slack.
Commuters will be unable to access stations on the T3 Bankstown Line and the T4 Illawarra Line as the routes close for ‘essential upgrades’.
Thousands of weary commuters struggled to get to work last Tuesday after a similar walkout was orchestrated by union officials (pictured, bus drivers protest in Sydney on December 6)
Bus, train and rail drivers have participated in strikes throughout the last several weeks to demand improved pay and better working conditions (pictured, protestors in Sydney)
The construction will also make room for the Sydney Metro which is to run from the city’s northwest, under the Sydney Harbour and beyond to the southwest.
The popular T3 Bankstown Line between Central and Birrong will be closed from Boxing Day to January 9.
The T4 Illawarra Line between Central and Sydenham will also be unavailable from Boxing Day to December 28.
Transport NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins said as soon as the work was, finished customers would benefit.
‘This is absolutely essential, quiet times are the best times to do heavy engineering,’ he said.
Foot traffic on the popular lines are expected to drop to about 30 to 40 per cent over the summer period as commuters are forced to hop on replacement buses.
The popular T3 Bankstown Line between Central and Birrong will be closed from Boxing Day to January 9 while T4 Illawarra Line between Central and Sydenham will also be unavailable from Boxing Day to December 28
Foot traffic on the popular T3 and T4 lines are expected to drop to about 30 to 40 per cent over the summer period (pictured, Sydney commuters on a busy train)
The L1 Inner West light rail service between Central and Dulwich Hill remains closed after cracks were found in the rail carriages 18 months ago.
Sydney CBD trams being tested between Central and Paddy’s Markets on the L1 line could permanently replace the inoperable service.
Thousands of weary commuters struggled to get to work last Tuesday after a similar walkout was orchestrated, one of a series of protests held this year.
The RTBU announced it would refuse to man foreign-made trains as part of ongoing enterprise agreement negotiations with NSW Trains.
The move was expected to impact 75 per cent of trains on the network with trains only running every 30 minutes on some suburban lines for 24 hours.
Last week, the RTBU announced it would refuse to man foreign-made trains as part of ongoing enterprise agreement negotiations with NSW Trains (pictured, commuters in Sydney)
The move was expected to impact 75 per cent of trains on the network with trains only running every 30 minutes on some suburban lines for 24 hours (pictured, Sydney’s Central Station)
As part of the EBA negotiations the union wants an end to privatisation, safety standards maintained, and a commitment to retaining current hygiene levels while not relying on contractors to provide it.
NSW TrainLink chief executive Dale Merrick previously said Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink officials have been meeting with the unions for months, and labelled the ongoing disruption as disappointing.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland echoed Mr Merrick’s sentiments and said the strike would cause major issues for people finally returning to work.
‘That’s the disappointing thing as the economy is opening and businesses are starting to recover, you really want to make it as easy as possible for people to get around, and that’s the disappointing thing about the action we’re seeing tomorrow,’ Mr Longland said last week.
He added employees were offered a 2.5 per cent pay increase, inclusive of superannuation.