Sydney Train commuters have been warned to expect delays today as employees strike.
Action by the Electrical Trades Union will take place between 8am and 4pm, where some employees will take park ‘work stoppages’.
A NSW government spokesperson said the situation could be unpredictable.
‘The ETU bans might impact upon maintenance requirements or cause delays in responding to issues with infrastructure,’ the spokesperson said.
But ETU NSW/ACT secretary Allen Hicks said he does not expect the action to impact the network.
‘Without the pressure of industrial action, the NSW government and Sydney Trains have shown they won’t sit down and meaningfully bargain with us,’ he said.
It comes after Sydney commuters were left in the lurch last month after the ETU and the RTBU launched separate actions.
Trains were delayed or cancelled altogether between January 15 and January 17.
Sydney Train commuters have been warned to expect delays today as employees strike.(Central station in Sydney is pictured)
Sydney Trains employees will take part in hourly ‘work stoppages’ between 8am and 4pm on Wednesday (commuters are seen at Town Hall station in Sydney)
Meanwhile, The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has postponed a planned ‘go slow’ day for two days.
The union had threatened that trains would travel 23 km/h below the speed limit in areas where the limit is 80 km/h on Wednesday.
It comes after Sydney commuters were left in the lurch last month after the ETU and the RTBU launched separate actions.
Trains were delayed or cancelled altogether between January 15 and January 17.
Now, the NSW government is weighing up legal options in response to what it calls ‘intolerable’ union work bans, which have been part of a long-running pay dispute.
The government’s latest offer is 15 per cent over four years, including a federally mandated superannuation increase.
However, unions have stayed firm in their demands, calling for a 32 pay increase over four years, a 35-hour work week, and a one per cent increase in their superannuation.
‘The current wages offer, which is all we’re really certain on exactly what it looks like, does seem a little light-on,’ RTBU NSW branch secretary Toby Warnes told ABC Radio.
‘The disrespect that has been levelled against them, that does have an impact on how commuters see our members. It’s not nice, and we’d like to see the government shift that rhetoric if it wants us to sit down and properly consider this offer.’
