Karl Stefanovic has unleashed a scathing tirade against the head of the rail union after hundreds of trains were canceled and more delayed, causing chaos in Sydney transport.
Across Sydney, an estimated 1,500 rail services (around 40 per cent) were canceled or significantly delayed during the Wednesday morning rush hour.
Only 16 per cent of morning services arrived on time or within five minutes of their scheduled departures, wreaking havoc on morning commuters as more than 80 per cent of services were canceled or arrived up to six hours away. of delay.
The 350 ongoing work bans by the Electrical Union and the Railway, Tram and Bus Union were the result of their planned industrial action.
Dozens of trains were canceled and delayed again on Thursday as unions and the state government failed to reach an agreement in their long-running pay dispute.
The RTBU also launched 10 new actions and stood firm in its demands for a 32 percent pay rise over four years for its members.
Stefanovic spoke to RTBU secretary Toby Warnes on Thursday morning and criticized the strike.
The Today show host asked the union boss how he felt knowing he had “lost people” following Wednesday’s work bans.
Today’s presenter Carl Stefanovic slammed RTBU secretary Toby Warnes over the union’s strike after more than 1,500 train services were canceled or delayed, causing chaos for commuters across Sydney.
‘Yes, look. Not great. Yesterday was a hard day. “I think it was a difficult day for everyone,” said Mr Warnes.
“The facts of what happened yesterday are not as simple as what has been reported, unfortunately.”
Warnes explained that the industrial action was more than “just a union strike” and claimed most of the cancellations and delays were due to the Electricians’ Union refusing to carry out critical maintenance work between Bondi Junction and Homebush.
Stefanovic responded by claiming Mr Warnes had “stuffed” him and that Sydneysiders suffered for it.
‘At the end of the day, people just want to go to work. “They want to be able to get on with their lives,” Stefanovic said.
“Now everything has collapsed, now people are angry, now people want a solution and now you have lost the support of the people.” You have covered it.
Warnes said he did not “accept that” and said the union had been asking the state government to resume negotiations to determine the “magic number”.
Stefanovic intervened and harshly criticized the union boss, stating that the negotiations had lost the support of the people. He had lost the support of the people.

RTBU secretary Toby Warnes said the union remains firm in its demands and said its members are “in this fight for the long haul”.
“It’s gotten to the point where people have been lost, support has been lost, and they just want a resolution and that’s not happening,” Stefanovic said.
‘Now they’re blaming you. There is no solution in sight and their lives are being severely affected and they have had enough.
‘So you have to turn around, right?’
Mr Warnes replied: “I don’t think so.” We take instructions from our members. The deputies still support us a lot.’
Stefanovic interrupted the union boss and argued that members “can’t” support the union, especially after Wednesday’s travel chaos.
“They absolutely are,” Mr Warnes said. “They’re in this fight for the long haul.”
‘Unfortunately, things have gotten ugly when things like yesterday happen.
‘It is easy to use the union as a scapegoat. I understand that people are angry. We hope we can get things back on track.
“Our ban on running trains a little slower does not cause the kind of disruption we saw yesterday and, hopefully, today works much better than yesterday.”

The strike caused chaos for commuters during the Wednesday morning rush hour as 1,500 services were canceled or significantly delayed.
Stefanovic doubled down, stating that the union could not “continue to hold the people of Sydney to ransom”.
Commuters were warned on Thursday to allow extra travel time on Thursday as the RTBU continued its strike.
“Long delays, service cancellations and major service outages on the rail network are expected to continue tomorrow due to ongoing protected industrial action,” Sydney Trains wrote in X.
“Please delay non-essential travel, allow additional travel time, and consider all of your transportation options.”
The disruptions are expected to worsen from Friday, when rail workers refuse to override the system that controls the network’s traffic lights.
Meanwhile, new work bans will also be introduced, including a strike for “hazardous waste” and an eight-day ban for “absolute signal blockage”, which is used to close sections of track for maintenance.
Although they are separate unions, the ETU and RTBU are working together as part of the Combined Railway Unions to negotiate terms with the government.
The union has refused to lift its work bans unless the government resumes negotiations.
The union has stood firm in its demands, calling for a significant wage increase, a 35-hour work week and a 1 percent increase in pensions.
The New South Wales government on Tuesday offered the union a 15 per cent pay rise over four years, including a 1 per cent superannuation.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the strike had taken the “life out of our rail network” and urged union members to accept the “final offer”.
However, the offer was less than half of the Combined Rail Union’s demands for a 32 per cent pay rise over four years.