NSW Govt failure on safety laid bare as rail workers forced to continue industrial action  

Media release, 22 August 2022: The NSW Government’s continued failure to address rail safety concerns means rail workers’ protected industrial is forced to continue as planned.  

Current actions underway include an ongoing ban on operating trains that don’t meet minimum safety standards. This is in addition to two strikes this week – one on Tuesday and one on Thursday.  

Tuesday 10am – 4pm: North Shore Northern & Western Line (minus the stations between Macdonaldtown and Granville), Blue Mountains Line, Central Coast Newcastle Line, all regional, except stations south to Melbourne. 
Thursday 10am – 4pm: City Circle + Redfern 

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said the NSW Government can end the dispute by simply committing to fulfil the basic requirement of government and deliver safe trains for commuters and fair wages and conditions for workers.  

Minimum maintenance standards ban highlighting broader safety failures  

Mr Claassens said the current low level ban on operating trains that don’t meet maintenance safety standards is having an impact on services today – a sign of just how poor the government’s handling of rail safety is. “Refusing to operate trains that don’t meet minimum safety standards is the most basic industrial action you can possibly get, but what it is doing is laying bare just how poorly our current trains are maintained,” Mr Claassens said.  

Mr Claassens said trains that don’t meet ‘minimum safety standards’ – an official safety level within the railway – could include those with passenger safety intercom systems that don’t work, toilets that aren’t functioning, or even mechanical issues. “This action is shining a public light on the issue. The travelling public would be horrified to know just how little the NSW Government cares about rail safety.”  

Strike action going ahead on Tuesday and Thursday  

Mr Claassens said planned strike action on Tuesday and Thursday will unfortunately still be going ahead, given the NSW Government is still yet to commit, without any doubt, that it will fix its serious rail safety issues.  

“As with previous strike actions, Tuesday and Thursday’s actions have been designed to cause a headache for management, but still allow commuter services to run. Our fight is never with commuters – it’s with management and the government. We’re doing this because we can’t allow commuters to get on unsafe trains, and that’s something we simply can’t back down on.” 

For a list of all upcoming actions, go to www.ourrightsourfight.com.au