Sydneysiders who rely on the city’s rail network can breathe a sigh of relief after the Fair Work Commission enforced a temporary order to stop industrial actions following two days of chaos.
ICYMI, the Sydney Trains Network has been thrown into anarchy following pay disputes between the State Government and the rail unions.
As a result of industrial action by the unions, thousands of trains were delayed or cancelled, causing mayhem for those who rely on the system as their primary mode of transport.
Following a second day of train turmoil, the Fair Work Commission enforced an interim order to halt strikes from Thursday, 6.30pm following an urgent application from the state government that was filed this morning. A determination for the application will be heard next Wednesday.
Per The Guardian Australia, the NSW government initially asked for the hearing to take place on Friday or over the weekend, but the court heard that the requested time frame “would not be procedurally fair”. It also reported that the unions requested for the hearing to take place on Tuesday. However, it would not be able to happen as the bench wouldn’t be available.
The Fair Work Commission can halt or completely nix industrial action if it finds that the economy could face a significant risk of damage, per ABC News. It can also stop industrial action if they believe it could endanger the life, personal safety, health or welfare of the public.
On Thursday, NSW Premiere Chris Minns said the unions have “put a noose around the public transport system” through the union’s industrial action, which saw 1000 train services cancelled on Wednesday and another 450 cancelled on Thursday morning.
The RBTU clapped back at the government, and said its application to the commission was a “desperate attempt to shift the blame for its own failure to negotiate with workers”.
“For 44 days, the government has failed to engage in a single bargaining meeting with the Combined Rail Unions,” the union said in a statement, per The Guardian Australia.
“Instead of negotiating, the government is scapegoating rail workers, blaming them for economic disruption they themselves caused. The real cost to the economy isn’t the industrial action — it’s the government’s refusal to negotiate a fair deal.”
This week’s major disruptions to the train network follow the government’s latest offer to the rail union, announcing a 13 per cent pay rise across four years, which is less than half the rail union’s demands of 32 per cent over four years.
Look, as a certified passenger princess of Sydney Trains, I’m just hoping something is sorted out soon. But only a solution that benefits our hardworking railway workers and the public!
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