Rail workers a step closer to giving commuters free travel with win in the Fair Work Commission, again

Media release, 27 September 2022: Commuters are one step closer to receiving free travel, with the Fair Work Commission ruling in favour of rail workers taking the necessary steps in order to be able to turn off Opal machines.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has gone back to the Fair Work Commission to ensure it can provide commuters with free travel by switching off all Opal machines as part of protected industrial action. The move followed threats by the Transport Minister that he could “prosecute and sack” workers simply for standing up for rail safety.

The Fair Work Commission yesterday ruled in favour of the RTBU, saying it can now ballot members and ask them whether they will vote in favour of taking action to turn off Opal machines, if the NSW Government continues to refuse to reach a sensible resolution to the current rail safety dispute.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens, said while the Commission’s ruling is welcomed, the proceedings also lay bare the fact that the NSW Government is more interested in political games than in reaching a genuine resolution.

“In bizarre scenes, the NSW Government argued that before Rail, Tram and Bus Union members turn off Opal machines and provide commuters with free travel, it should be afforded an additional four days notice because it wants to turn the machines off themselves in order to stop workers from doing it,” Mr Claassens said.

“The government’s strange defence in the Fair Work Commission is further proof that political gamesmanship and not genuine rail safety is the key driver of government.

“This is the kind of lunacy rail workers have been dealing with through this whole process. The left hand clearly isn’t talking to the right inside government. It’s impossible to work out who is calling the shots, which is frustrating because all we want to do is reach a reasonable agreement.

“Rail workers just want to get safe trains on our tracks and deliver fair wages and conditions for workers, but we keep coming up against a government more interested in stalling proceedings and playing political games than in reaching a resolution to this ongoing dispute.

“In Parliament last week the Transport Minister, David Elliott, openly admitted he wants to “crush” unions. There’s no doubt this is about political ideology, not genuine rail safety for this government. “Commuters should be very worried that we have a government refusing to listen to genuine safety concerns about a fleet of trains that are designed to carry millions of passengers every year.”