Commuters in New South Wales will face additional delays as rail workers continue to strike over pay, conditions, and safety.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union will meet with the NSW government on Wednesday to discuss a new intercity train fleet built in Korea.
The tense negotiations come as the NSW government faces a teacher strike on Thursday, as well as public sector nurses and midwives voting to put more pressure on it on pay and staffing ratios.
Blockade Climate activists in Australia are taking a 24-hour break after spending the previous two days protesting in Sydney’s CBD, resulting in multiple arrests.
Rail workers began a four-day strike on Tuesday, limiting train speeds to 60km/h, restricting worker movement, and prohibiting the use of foreign-made trains.
Commuters should expect delays, altered stopping patterns, and cancelled services if services are reduced by 70% during peak periods on Thursday, according to Transport for NSW.
On Friday, a union ban on foreign-owned trains will prevent the use of the Waratah, Millennium, and OSCAR trains, which account for roughly 70% of the fleet.
On Thursday and Friday, expect significant disruptions to Sydney and NSW train routes, including reduced services to the Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, and South Coast.
The union is expected to go on strike this week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, causing train services to be reduced and replacement buses to be limited.
Travelers are advised to plan alternative modes of transportation if going into the city for work, to expect delays, and to avoid unnecessary travel.
The ongoing feud between Transport NSW and the union reached a head in February, when the train network was shut down for 24 hours.
The union claims that during a Friday meeting with the government, officials tried to ‘bribe’ them into operating the $2.88 billion New Intercity Fleet.
Drivers have refused due to safety concerns, despite the Office of the National Safety Regulator having approved the South Korean-built fleet.
To make matters worse during rush hour, radical climate change activists from Blockade Australia descended on the city on Monday and Tuesday, bringing rush-hour traffic to a halt.
After 21 people were arrested earlier this week, the group will take a 24-hour break from disruptions on Wednesday to allow protesters to ‘rest and regroup.’
At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Sally-Anne Brown, a spokeswoman for the extremist group, stated that they will not stop protesting until the ‘profiteering of the systems that are damaging our environment’ is completely disrupted.
When asked what she has has planned for the rest of the week, Ms Brown said: ‘The network has advertised a week of protests, but that’s all I know.’
Blockade Australia organisers posted a message on Tuesday saying there would be no protests on Wednesday.
‘We have made the call for tomorrow to be a day off,’ they said on the Telegram messaging platform via the Blockade Australia: Resist Climate Inaction channel.
‘We want people to have a chance to rest, regroup and support one another as well as connect with those who share our common purpose of resisting climate destruction.’
NSW Police have arrested 21 people in the last two days and have warned protesters that they will be prosecuted if they believe the law does not apply to them.
On Tuesday, eleven people were arrested during a second day of unauthorised demonstrations in Sydney, when about 40 people marched from Hyde Park up William Street towards the inner east.
On Monday, police arrested ten people following a Blockade Australia march through the CBD.
Mali Poppy Cooper, 22, was among them. She had locked herself to the steering wheel of a car, preventing drivers from entering the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.
She allegedly live-streamed the protest from inside a white rental hatchback when an enraged commuter began cursing her and stormed off.
‘You’re f***ing everyone’s day up,’ he yells. ‘Get the f*** out of the way!’
Premier Dominic Perrottet described the strike as disappointing on Tuesday, noting that the national rail safety regulator had advised the NSW government that the new intercity trains were safe.
The most recent dispute was sparked by the government’s offer to pay workers up to $18,000 to operate the fleet while safety modifications are implemented.
Alex Claassens, the rail union’s NSW secretary, has accused the government of playing political games and has called the offer a bribe.
On Thursday, the rail union and NSW transport department officials will hold a separate bargaining session.
Meanwhile, hundreds of nurses voted on Tuesday to continue their strike, rejecting the government’s offer of a 3% pay increase.
According to Brett Holmes, general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, members will now seek a 7% pay increase.
The premier said he stood by the public sector wage offer of 3% and a $3000 bonus to health workers, calling continued industrial action politically motivated.
Two unions representing public and Catholic school teachers will also address the media on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s historic 24-hour strike.
The strike was called by the NSW Teachers Federation and the Independent Education Union NSW/ACT after Tuesday’s budget papers revealed that no offer above 3.5% was on the table.
Unions are expected to demand higher pay and better working conditions, with protests planned in 14 towns across the state and in the CBD.
Mr. Perrottet has stated that unions that organize illegal strikes should face severe penalties.
The government intends to levy fines of up to $55,000 on the first day of illegal industrial action and $27,500 on each subsequent day.