Haylen said the two sides had been “very close” to reaching an agreement this week, but there were some demands from the union that the government could not accept, citing the request that a Sydney Trains qualified driver be placed on every metro train.
Loading
The government has also ruled out accepting the union’s demands for 50¢ fares for public transport in NSW, warning the cost would be borne by taxpayers.
However, RTBU state secretary Toby Warnes said the union put a deal on the table on Wednesday night which would have prevented industrial action this weekend.
“Unfortunately, and it was late at night, the government walked away from the table, and we weren’t able to reach a deal,” he told ABC radio.
He disputed the minister’s claims that the deal involved demands that drivers be put on fully automated metro trains.
Loading
“It was a suite of measures designed to address numerous safety concerns that we have in relation to the conversion of the Sydenham-to-Bankstown line,” he said.
Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said the union’s latest bans would have a “significant impact” from this weekend because it had special events that required extra train services, and it had planned works on the Bankstown line’s conversion.
“We’re doing everything possible to reprogram and to augment the services for the weekend to give passengers and families the most options,” he said. “We anticipate the biggest impact at this stage could be on those families wanting to attend the Bledisloe Cup.”
Transport bureaucrats have been negotiating a new enterprise agreement covering rail workers since June, which involves working through 250 claims from the RTBU.
Coalition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said commuters were clearly paying the price for Labor’s broken promises to the union movement.
“You can’t put your head under the desk when things get tough,” she said.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Read the full article here
