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Commuters in New South Wales could significantly delay train operations next Wednesday and Friday as the transport union threatens further strikes.
Up to 75% reduction in peak rail services later this week after NSW Railroad, Tram and Bus Coalition (RTBU) boycotted Korean trains for safety concerns and promoted improved wages and working conditions it was done.
In response, the Perotet government has paid $ 264 million to upgrade new intercity vehicles, a one-time $ 3,185 ($ 2,170) payment to railroad workers, and twice in the next 12 months. Provided a separate salary increase to the union.
However, the union resisted and demanded that the amendment and wage negotiations be split into a two-step process rather than a single transaction.
New South Wales Transport Minister David Elliott said on July 1 that the two-step process is “unfair to taxpayers.”
“Sufficient, we are drawing a line in the sand,” he said. Said At a press conference on Friday.
Elliott said 2GB The train strike is “the most politically motivated industrial action since the dismissal of Gough Whitlam.”
He said the union is “using strikes to motivate people to vote for labor,” putting pressure on the Perotet government.
“This is an act of shame and disgrace to the labor movement,” he said. “They want to complain about their working conditions, where their working conditions are fairly solid.”
The state election is scheduled for March 25, 2023.
Other strikes
The state saw a teacher strike on Thursday. The teachers’ union demanded a salary increase of 5 to 7.5 percent. Thousands of nurses also quit their jobs on Tuesday, demanding a higher staff ratio and a 7% salary increase to cope with rising living costs.
Scheduled strikes will take place next Wednesday and next Friday, despite New South Wales raising the country’s highest wage cap for public sector workers by 3%.
RTBU Secretary Alex Claassens previously said, “People need to understand that we are doing this for them.”
“I want a safe train. I want to work on safety first, then on working conditions, then on wages.”
“This train is a substandard train purchased from South Korea and is not safe. It was designed for drivers only and there are no guards on the train. We now promise that the guards will stay there. But to keep people safe, they have to remodel their trains so they can work. “
“We don’t have anything until we see it in writing and someone actually signs the document,” Claassens said.
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Nina Nguyen is a Sydney-based reporter. She covers Australian news with a focus on social, cultural and identity issues. She is fluent in Vietnamese. Contact her at [email protected].
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