Major win for commuters in Sydney Trains dispute

• Cancellations have crippled network in recent days 
• Industrial action suspended until July 1 

By KYLIE STEVENS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA and AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 08:16 GMT, 19 February 2025 | Updated: 11:23 GMT, 19 February 2025

Rail unions have been ordered to halt industrial action in their ongoing dispute with the NSW government and Sydney Trains over pay and conditions.

The Fair Work Commission handed down its ruling on Wednesday night after delays and cancellations crippled the network in recent days.

From Friday through to Sunday, 1,526 train drivers and guards were absent and did not report for their normal shift, which resulted in more than 4300 services being cancelled or delayed.

The FWC has suspended industrial action until July 1, which came into effect from 10pm Wednesday.

It hopes the ‘cooling off period’ will allow the parties to focus on reaching a deal without the additional pressures of public backlash and media coverage.

‘Notwithstanding that the unions strongly oppose any order for the suspension of industrial action, we consider that such a suspension would be beneficial to the bargaining representatives, because it would assist in resolving the matters at issue,’  President Justice Adam Hatcher said.

Months of commuter chaos (pictured at Parramatta last week) are over after the Fair Work Commission suspended industrial action across the Sydney Trains network

NSW transport minister John Graham welcomed the ruling.

‘This promises an end to disruption for all commuters in Sydney,’ he said. 

The state government is hopeful of reaching a deal with rail unions by July 1. 

‘This gives us clear air to stop interrupting people’s lives and get on with the business of landing an agreement…. but we’ve got to do it in a way that respects taxpayers and respects the public,’ Mr Graham said

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey added: ‘We don’t want this to linger until July, we want this resolved quick.’

At least 150 Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink drivers and guards didn’t report for work on Wednesday.

More than 300 trains were cancelled on Monday morning after almost 200 Sydney Train drivers and guards did not show up for their regular shifts.

It came 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.

Hundreds of train services were cancelled on Monday (pictured at Bondi Junction)

A whopping 95.3 per cent of all Friday’s services were either delayed or cancelled.

Negotiations for a new enterprise agreement for rail workers have dragged on for almost a year and the dispute has come before the commission several times.

The union initially sought 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 Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW said employees would respect the FWC decision.

‘We’ll hopefully get back to the bargaining table and there won’t be any more industrial action,’ branch secretary Toby Warnes said.

‘We are so close now to a deal, we are excruciatingly close and hopefully we can get it done really quickly.

The verdict has been hailed as a win for Sydney commuters (pictured at Central station)

But the union added the move by the NSW government set a dangerous precedent, setting ‘an industrial agenda for aggressive employers’ which would be a serious concern for workers everywhere. 

‘While we are hopeful that the NSW government will see this result as reason to come back to the negotiating table, we are not confident.’

Business Sydney called for commuters  to be rewarded for their patience amid consistent disruptions for months.

‘A cessation of hostilities is clearly a good thing but commuters and other rail travellers need certainty that the war won’t erupt again,’ executive director David Jones said.

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Major win for commuters in Sydney Trains dispute

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