This weekend, trains across Sydney were originally meant to be out of action. This was due to industrial action by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, which is currently locked into negotiations with the state government regarding a new enterprise agreement. After not coming to an agreement over the proposed changes earlier in the week, the union was set to strike.
However, New South Wales premier Chris Minns, transport minister Jo Haylen and RTBU secretary Toby Warnes just pulled off a last-minute deal to keep trains running this weekend. After some intense negotiations, they’ve agreed to run limited 24-hour train services, which means no major shutdown is happening.
So, here is a breakdown of the big questions surrounding the Sydney train strike.
Table of contents
When was the strike meant to begin?
The industrial action was set to begin on Friday, November 22, at 4.15am. Originally, the strike was due to start at 10pm on Thursday, but it was pushed back.
The strike is due to end mid-morning on Sunday.
According to Nine News, this would have been the biggest Sydney rail strike the city has ever seen.
Are all modes of public transport affected?
No, thankfully, only trains will stop running as a result of the industrial action. All buses, light rail and ferries will be running as usual.
However, the downside is that without trains, all the other services are predicted to be choc-a-block with commuters just trying to go about their daily lives. The roads are also expected to experience a spike in traffic congestion due to more cars and buses on the roads.
What about the Metro?
In some fairly bad luck, the beloved, shiny new metro is undergoing scheduled maintenance on Saturday and Sunday. While it is in full operation on Friday, the metro will only be running from Tallawong and Chatswood on the weekend.
Huge bummer!
Which areas are affected?
The shutdown doesn’t just affect those in the Sydney CBD. All inter-city regional train services that run across the Sydney Trains network will be impacted by the strike.
According to The Guardian, this includes all lines from Sydney to Newcastle, Gosford, the Blue Mountains, the Southern highlands and the south coast.
Are there replacement buses?
There will be some replacement buses in the Sydney CBD but it’s likely spaces will be limited. With Sydney trains typically carrying more than one million people a day, it’s going to be hard to find enough buses to fit everyone.
How about Uber?
According to The Guardian, rideshare services Uber and DiDi have assured the government that they will limit the surge on pricing during the industrial action.
I guess that’s a slight silver lining in this whole mess.
Why are rail workers striking?
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union are representing rail workers who are asking for a reduction of their hours and a 32 per cent pay increase over four years (8 per cent a year). However, the NSW Government says this isn’t possible. The state government is proposing a three-year agreement which comes to 9.5 per cent plus super in total.
Another big issue proposed is having trains running 24 hours on the weekend.
“We want to see 24-hour services or we want to see the deal done,” Toby Warnes, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW secretary, said.
“These sorts of events will have to continue until we actually get some sense, and a negotiating position, from the transport bureaucracy and the government.”
Transport Minister Haylen has said that operating trains for 24 hours would lead to ongoing delays and remove the time when our trainlines can be delayed.
“Unfortunately, it’s just not sustainable,” Haylen told ABC News on Thursday.
“These industrial actions will strangle our network and eventually mean we can’t run services at all. It doesn’t make any sense to be running services at three in the morning, jeopardising services at three in the afternoon or at 7am in the morning when millions of people need them.”
What will happen now?
As mentioned, after talks today the union have essentially hit the pause button on what could have been a really disruptive rail network shutdown. Both sides are now sitting down to hash out the details of a new pay deal, and commuters can breathe a sigh of relief that they’ll still be able to get around the city this weekend.
Premier Chris Minns says that negotiations will continue in the coming weeks, but is optimistic. “I’m hopeful that the two weeks of intensive bargaining reaps an agreement,” he said per Sydney Morning Herald.
It’s basically a very kind temporary truce that gives everyone some breathing room to sort things out without causing massive mayhem this weekend!
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