Commuters were left stranded when a Sydney Train guard stopped the service and told passengers that she hadn’t eaten in six hours and would ‘pass out’ if she continued working.
On Monday, nearly 200 Sydney Trains drivers and guards failed to show up for their shifts as part of ongoing strike action, leading to the cancellation and delays for many services.
A guard on a T1 train heading to Penrith halted the train and voiced her frustration about the lack of staff.
‘A lot of people are not where they are supposed to be and I’ve been on this train for six-and-a-half-hours, I’m entitled to some food, yeah,’ she said in a passenger announcement.
‘I’m waiting for someone to take over this train so they can take you to the Riff (Penrith) because I need some food.
‘I’m sorry if that’s an issue but if I pass out if the train’s moving, apparently that doesn’t look good on paper either and I can’t open the doors for you.
‘So once again, this train will be moving once I get a new guard to take it off me.’
Aussies had little sympathy for the train guard’s plight.
In a video shared to social media, the guard explained she had worked for six-and-a-half hours without a meal break
‘I have done 10 hours with no food working in hospitality, where you are running around and on your feet the entire time,’ one said.
‘Construction workers do 12 hours on there feet all day no food hear us complaining,’ a second added.
A fourth wrote: ‘6.5 hours? I have worked many shifts as a chef that were so busy I couldn’t eat for 12 hours’.
Others defended the train guard, explaining that food was not permitted in the cabin during a shift, and that laws required her to take a break.
‘I understand this is annoying to some people but honestly I admire her standing her ground and looking out for herself,’ one said.
Social media users were divided, with some having little sympathy for the train guard, while others defended her claiming she was entitled to a break under Australian law
The Rail Safety ACT 2008 states train drivers must take a break of ‘not less than 30 minutes’ between the ‘third and fifth hour’ of each shift.
On Monday, more than 300 trains were cancelled after Sydney Trains failed to prevent another round of planned industrial action by rail workers.
The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union and Sydney Trains urged commuters to find alternative travel options or to work from home.
Almost 200 Sydney Train drivers and guards did not show up for their regular shifts, which caused significant delays for commuters.
The industrial action comes after the NSW government took the RTBU to the Fair Work Commission after what it described as an ‘unprecedented’ number of employees calling in sick on Friday.
A whopping 95.3 per cent of all Friday’s services were either delayed or cancelled.
From Friday through to Sunday, 1,526 train drivers and guards were absent and did not report for their normal shift resulting in 3,935 services being cancelled or delayed.
From Friday through to Sunday, 1,526 train drivers and guards were absent and did not report for their normal shift resulting in 3,935 services being cancelled or delayed
The industrial action comes amid a long-standing pay dispute between the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union and the state government (pictured, NSW RTBU Branch Secretary Toby Warnes)
The industrial action comes after the union and the state government failed to reach an agreement in their long-standing pay dispute.
Union officials initially pushed for a 32 per cent pay rise across four years, but the government offered 15 per cent for the same period including a federally mandated superannuation increase.
The union later provided a counter-offer of about 20 per cent across three years, which it rescinded after legal action was launched.
The rail network typically transports about one million people a day, with commuters facing repeated disruptions as the 10-month long negotiations drag on.
The state government aims to resolve the disruptions and industrial action at a Fair Work Commission hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
