Planned industrial action that was set to disrupt Sydney’s train services on Wednesday has been postponed by 48 hours.
NSW Transport Minister John Graham confirmed that the NSW government and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) reached an agreement to delay the “go-slow” action for two days.
“This arrangement was made as part of ongoing negotiations,” Mr Graham stated in a press release. “Passengers using Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink should keep checking their travel apps for updates.”
Earlier, the RTBU had threatened to reduce train speeds by 23 km/h below the speed limit in areas where the limit is 80 km/h or higher. This was part of a two-week action set to begin at midnight on Wednesday. However, separate action by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) is still scheduled for Wednesday between 8 am and 4 pm, with Sydney Trains employees participating in rolling hourly “work stoppages.”
Toby Warnes, RTBU NSW branch secretary, said that while no agreement had been reached, the government had agreed to resume discussions. “The government has decided to suspend their legal notices for 48 hours, allowing some space for negotiations,” Warnes explained. “This is not a withdrawal of the action, and if these two days do not result in an agreement, the ‘go-slow’ action will resume.”
Unpredictability of the Situation Allen Hicks, ETU NSW/ACT secretary, emphasized that while the stoppages were not expected to directly affect commuter services, they should be seen as a signal of workers’ growing frustration with the stalled pay negotiations. “Without the pressure of industrial action, the NSW government and Sydney Trains have shown they are unwilling to engage in meaningful discussions with us,” Hicks stated.
A government spokesperson earlier noted that the work bans were unlikely to cause major disruptions but acknowledged that the situation might be unpredictable. “The ETU’s bans could affect maintenance operations or result in delays in addressing infrastructure issues,” the spokesperson said.
No changes have been made to the train schedules at this time.
Earlier this year, thousands of train services were delayed or cancelled between January 15 and 17 due to separate industrial actions by the ETU and RTBU. Sydney Trains reported that ETU action had led to critical inspections being missed, triggering automatic safety protocols that turned signals red across the network.
The work stoppages planned by the ETU this week differ from the previous industrial action in January, which caused widespread disruption. The unions recently held talks at the Fair Work Commission, where they pledged not to take certain types of work bans.
Warnes reassured that the unions had honored their commitments to the industrial umpire and were confident the planned stoppages would not breach those agreements.