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Commuters Get Free Travel as Premier Attempts to Pause Rail Dispute
Commuters Get Free Travel as Premier Seeks Pause to Rail Dispute
Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Friday 18 November that rail commuters would get one week of free travel in an attempt to divert ongoing industrial action. Meeting with the Premier
On the afternoon of 17 November, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, called a last-minute meeting with the Rail Tram and Bus Union. At this meeting the Premier stated that if our protected industrial action goes ahead on Monday 21 November, he will “rip up” any commitment he had made to fixing the safety issues on the New InterCity Fleet. This ultimatum was accompanied by a deadline to advise the government by the following morning whether our Monday action will go ahead. An emergency delegates meeting was held on the morning of 18 November where EA bargaining delegates made it clear: you can’t rip up an agreement that was just words at a press conference. The Premier doesn’t get relief from actions or political brownie points for promises and platitudes. The RTBU reiterated that the only way the actions could come off is if the government does what we’ve been asking for a long time: sign the NIF deed, commit to safety, and separate NIF and the safety modifications from the proposed Enterprise Agreement. Alternatively, they can simply give commuters free fares for the duration of the action as has been the case for each and every action of our November calendar.
One Week of Free Travel
On Friday 18 November the Premier publicly announced that commuters would receive free travel for the week of Monday 21 – Friday 25 November, in an attempt to avert the planned industrial action and to meet and attempt to resolve the dispute. The ABC reported Mr Perrottet as saying that “This has gone on for way too long. Providing free travel for the week will ensure that industrial action does not occur… We’re going into mediation on Tuesday, and I want these matters resolved”. The Premier was referring to a conciliation session scheduled for the Tuesday, where the Government would argue and try to get agreement on terms of a managed arbitration in the Fair Work Commission. Branch Secretary Alex Claassens said that he hoped the Premier’s intervention may lead to a result, as we have had promises of resolution before. The Federal Minister for Workplace Relations, Tony Burke lashed out at the State Coalition Government, accusing some Ministers of playing ‘political games’. It came after NSW Minister for Finance Damien Tudehope, on the same day as as he, the Premier and Transport Minister Elliott were meeting with the RTBU, urged the Federal Government to intervene in the dispute. Mr Burke refused to step in, suggesting that the NSW Government is either ‘naïve or deliberately misleading.’ See ourrightsourfight.com.au for the latest developments in the EA negotiations.
