Sydney commuters facing delays despite court ordering train drivers back to work
Elias Visontay
Sydney commuters had hoped to be spared widespread disruption across the city’s train network, after a court sided with the state government in granting a last-minute injunction late on Sunday to cancel planned industrial action after negotiations over a new pay deal collapsed.
However, the Minns government’s eleventh-hour push to seek legal orders barring industrial action – which was ultimately successful – occurred so late on Sunday that some of the impacts to the city’s train network “could not be undone in time”, meaning minor disruptions will occur across Monday.
On Sunday afternoon, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, said that a two-week period of “daily exhaustive” negotiations – which combined rail unions and the state government agreed to enter in order to stave off a two-day strike across all Sydney train lines late last month – had not delivered a breakthrough.
Minns said the government could not agree to the rail unions’ pay demands at the same time as it was pushing against similar pay increases requested by the nurses’ and other unions.
As a result, the two-week moratorium on industrial action as part of the negotiation window was set to end, and the government asked the rail unions to pull their planned actions related to limits on how far drivers could travel each day.
The union refused this request, so the state government sought an 11th-hour injunction at the federal court. A government spokesperson said that going to court to prevent the industrial action “was not a decision we took lightly”.
The court ultimately granted interim orders preventing the unions from taking the planned industrial action. A future hearing set by the court will now determine if the unions can take the actions they had planned. However, the unions claimed they can “simply” hold a ballot on taking fresh industrial action, raising the prospect of further disruptions this week.
Rail unions labelled the Minns government’s actions “appalling”. Toby Warnes, the secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW said “to attack a group of essential workers in this way is petulant and disappointing to say the least”.
Natalie Ward, the opposition transport spokesperson, was scathing of the transport minister, Jo Haylen.
Jo Haylen has one job, to keep NSW transport moving. Instead, she’s steering us straight into gridlock. This government’s inability to manage basic industrial negotiations is leaving families stranded and businesses bleeding at the busiest time of the year.
Key events
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus was on the ABC earlier, where he said the Australian government “wish for peace” in Syria.
Commenting on the fall of the Assad regime there yesterday, Dreyfus said he hopes there will be “respect for life” amid the transition.
Its the end of the the murderous Assad regime in Syria. We wish for peace there. We hope that there will be respect for life and the Syria can get to a peaceful, prosperous future. But clearly, we are on. These are unfolding, events unfolding as as we speak,
Transport NSW this morning has issued a warning that there may still be delays on the rail network this morning, despite the last minute intervention to prevent industrial action.
In an alert issued this morning, they warned that trains along the North Shore, Northern and Western Lines may be “less frequent” with trips taking “longer than normal today”:
Trains may be less frequent and trips may take longer than normal today due to the impact of recent protected industrial action. Trains may leave from different Platforms, have changed stops or be cancelled. Check station information screens, transport apps and listen to announcements for service updates. Metro services are also running frequently. Please allow plenty of extra travel time.
Sydney commuters facing delays despite court ordering train drivers back to work
Elias Visontay
Sydney commuters had hoped to be spared widespread disruption across the city’s train network, after a court sided with the state government in granting a last-minute injunction late on Sunday to cancel planned industrial action after negotiations over a new pay deal collapsed.
However, the Minns government’s eleventh-hour push to seek legal orders barring industrial action – which was ultimately successful – occurred so late on Sunday that some of the impacts to the city’s train network “could not be undone in time”, meaning minor disruptions will occur across Monday.
On Sunday afternoon, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, said that a two-week period of “daily exhaustive” negotiations – which combined rail unions and the state government agreed to enter in order to stave off a two-day strike across all Sydney train lines late last month – had not delivered a breakthrough.
Minns said the government could not agree to the rail unions’ pay demands at the same time as it was pushing against similar pay increases requested by the nurses’ and other unions.
As a result, the two-week moratorium on industrial action as part of the negotiation window was set to end, and the government asked the rail unions to pull their planned actions related to limits on how far drivers could travel each day.
The union refused this request, so the state government sought an 11th-hour injunction at the federal court. A government spokesperson said that going to court to prevent the industrial action “was not a decision we took lightly”.
The court ultimately granted interim orders preventing the unions from taking the planned industrial action. A future hearing set by the court will now determine if the unions can take the actions they had planned. However, the unions claimed they can “simply” hold a ballot on taking fresh industrial action, raising the prospect of further disruptions this week.
Rail unions labelled the Minns government’s actions “appalling”. Toby Warnes, the secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW said “to attack a group of essential workers in this way is petulant and disappointing to say the least”.
Natalie Ward, the opposition transport spokesperson, was scathing of the transport minister, Jo Haylen.
Jo Haylen has one job, to keep NSW transport moving. Instead, she’s steering us straight into gridlock. This government’s inability to manage basic industrial negotiations is leaving families stranded and businesses bleeding at the busiest time of the year.
Good morning
Mostafa Rachwani with you to take you through the day’s news.
And we start in New South Wales, where transport chaos appears to have been somewhat averted, after a last minute court injunction prevented industrial action by the rail union after wage negotiations broke down.
Elsewhere, Jewish community leaders have vowed to rebuild a firebombed synagogue, as federal and state police meet to investigate a motive for the alleged antisemitic attack.
We will bring you that and more as it comes.
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