Sydney commuters brace for train disruptions as workers vow to stop work | Mattonews
Sydney’s commuters face major delays to train services on Thursday after rail workers vowed to press ahead with a four-hour stoppage despite a last-ditch appeal from two senior government ministers for them to call off the action.
“We won’t be bullied into accepting an inferior enterprise agreement in order to get safe trains on our network,” he said.“Some NSW government ministers seem insistent on turning this into some sort of political game at the expense of commuters and workers.”Claassens conceded that the four-hour stoppage would cause disruptions during the morning peak, although the union had chosen the early hours for the action to lessen the impact on commuters.
The rail union wants the government to sign a deed guaranteeing that it will modify the new intercity train fleet at a cost of $264 million to address safety concerns, before completing negotiations over a new pay deal. However, the government wants both the train fleet modifications and a new enterprise agreement completed together.The union argues that the cost of modifying the trains risks coming at the expense of workers’ wages and conditions if the two issues are dealt with together.
The new intercity fleet was meant to enter service in 2019 but remains mothballed on the state’s Central Coast because rail workers refuse to staff it due to safety concerns. The government has estimated the mothballed fleet is costing taxpayers $30 million a month.
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