A high-stakes meeting between the NSW Government and rail union officials regarding an industrial stoush that caused chaos on Greater Sydney’s train network has finished after a “blood-letting” between the parties but with no resolution.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union met with Transport Minister David Elliott to try and hammer out a resolution to the workplace fight that has caused limited train services after a system-wide shutdown on Monday.
While the meeting between union officials and Minister Elliott on the train network lasted for about an hour, nothing of substance was agreed upon by both parties. The meeting reportedly included full and frank exchanges between union officials and Minister Elliott.
RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said there was an initial “blood-letting” at the meeting, followed by a discussion about the way forward out of the crisis.
Sydney Trains and NSW Trainlink remain before the Fair Work Commission, along with the union, to resolve issues surrounding negotiations for a new enterprise agreement.
The FWC hearing is expected to conclude on Wednesday.
As the dispute drags on, Sydney’s train network continues to run at 25 per cent capacity and most trains are timed every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, train services on the inner-city rail network are reduced to every 15 minutes, with buses supplementing some transport services.
Sydney Trains says commuters can expect a limited service for days before the train frequency increases later in the week. Train passengers are urged to find alternative transport in the meantime.
Meanwhile, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union stated that its members were trying to get as many trains on the tracks as possible, but warns that the same level of service will most likely continue to run in the following days.
“We worked until late last night to try to get a resolution and today we are running trains and we will make sure they run safely,” Secretary Claassens said.
Both the NSW Government and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union have blamed each other for the sudden cancellation of Monday’s rail services, which inconvenienced around half a million commuters.
While government transport authorities claimed that they were forced to shut down the network because of unspecified safety concerns, the rail union stated that its planned, limited industrial action would not have affected safety and the workers who were ready to run the trains.
The move by Transport for NSW blindsided commuters, causing many to be left stranded across Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Illawarra during the morning peak and the rest of the day.
Premier Dominic Perrottet blamed the union for the shutdown, saying it was part of a “coordinated, concerted attack” on the NSW Government by the union and Labor.
He was angry the trains were out of action on the same day Australia’s borders reopened to international tourists, as children were trying to get to school and university students were returning to campus.
With AAP