Commuter chaos across Sydney as ALL trains are CANCELLED after transport bosses ‘spent $500,000’ failing to stop rail strike
Millions of Sydney commuters will wake up this morning to find they have no way to get to work after all trains were suddenly cancelled.
Transport for NSW announced the sudden train closure at 5am on its social media post, and before that in a 1.38am email to staff.
‘Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink intercity services are not running today due to industrial action,’ it wrote.
‘Please avoid travel wherever possible, use alternative modes of transport and allow extra travel time on other modes of transport.’
Millions of Sydney commuters will wake up this morning to find they have no way to get to work after all trains were suddenly cancelled (file photo)
Transport bosses attempted to blame the union for the sudden rail shutdown, but it was Transport for NSW’s decision to shut the network down.
Workers never planned to strike and were all going to show up to work under comparatively minor bans on rostering flexibility.
The NSW Government took the issue to the Fair Work Commission on Sunday night trying to cancel the industrial action, after spending another $500,000 in legal fee on concilliation meetings with the union on Saturday.
Trains were due to go ahead but with significant delays after a series of court actions over the weekend as the union, management, and the NSW Government squabbled over details of long-running industrial action.
However, Transport for NSW secretary Rob Sharp at 1.38am sent an email suddenly cancelling all services in what rail workers called a ‘dummy spit’.
Mr Sharp, a former Virgin Australia boss, claimed the industrial action the union planned for the next two weeks would compromise safety.
Trains were due to go ahead but with significant delays after a series of court actions over the weekend as the union, management, and the NSW Government squabbled over details of long-running industrial action
‘These impacts result in hundreds and thousands of customers being left stranded, unable to get to work, school and where they need to be,’ he wrote.
‘We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact on commuters and sincerely apologise to people inconvenienced by this industrial action.’
The union, transport authorities, and the state government have been at each others throats for months over a new enterprise agreement.
Workers want better safety and hygiene standards and improved pay and conditions and successive negotiations have failed.
The union planned a ban on overtime and various flexible rostering conditions that make the network better able to respond to last-minute changes.
Both parties will appear before the Fair Work Commission at 9am to thrash out the issue.
More to come.
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