- Peak travel periods will be affected
- Second attack in a month
Sydney commuters will face major peak-hour disruption for a full week as light rail workers shut down tram services over pay and conditions.
All inner-city Sydney light rail lines will be halted during peak hours, from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm Monday to Friday, after the union decided to step up its strike.
The workers are fighting against the refusal of transport operator Trandev to grant them more sick days and for a pay rise in line with the cost of living.
The dispute is mainly over wages, after the operator offered an 18 percent pay rise over four years, compared with workers’ demands of 23 percent, according to the Union of Railways, Trams and Buses.
“Four years ago that might have been fine, but over the last four years we’ve seen all the basics, from energy to food to gasoline to rent, go up significantly,” said the union’s David Babineau.
“For a company that had revenues of more than $9 billion last fiscal year, we don’t think it’s too big a burden.”
While it may be a peripheral issue compared to wage demands, the union secretary said light rail workers are using up their 10 sick days each year.
‘It’s not just when they’re sick, but if they’re drivers or network controllers with a tight schedule, people use sick days when they’re too fatigued to do their jobs safely.’
All inner-city Sydney light rail lines will be shut down during peak travel periods this week
Buses will replace light rail services during the strike, Transdev said.
The company’s Sydney managing director apologised for the service disruptions and urged customers to plan ahead.
“We are working hard with our transport partners to minimise the impact this industrial action may have on customers,” said Arsene Durand-Raucher.
‘Customers should plan ahead and consider alternative transport options during the disruption period or, if possible, avoid non-essential travel on trams.’
Staff will be stationed on site to help manage disruptions while the company works to resolve the business agreement.
Light rail commuters will need to make alternative travel plans to get to work this week
Mr Babineau also apologised to travellers for any inconvenience and inconvenience caused.
“We have tried to limit disruption to those peak times to ensure people can safely get where they need to go outside of those hours, for example late at night,” he said.
Trams in the city centre were halted for 24 hours in June as the union increased pressure on the transport company.