Railway Strikes in New South Wales and Sydney: Issues and Implications

This report discusses the railway strikes that took place in New South Wales and Sydney in January 2018. It highlights the issues faced by railway employees, the role of the Railway, Tram and Bus Union, and the impact on daily commuters. The report also evaluates the interference of higher management and the stance of the government and RTBU.

Running head: ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Advanced Studies in Industrial Relations
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Executive summary
The aim of the following report is to find out the relevant issues regarding the railway strikes that
took place in the New South Wales and Sydney region in the month of January in 2018. The
problems have been identified in this regard. The various problems that the railway employees
had been facing and their various issues have been discussed here in this paper. The role of the
railway, Tram and Bus Union in New South Wales and Sydney has been evaluated properly. The
railway management has been very much enraged over this matter since they wanted to focus on
the customers first. The priority should be given on those customers who had been standing on
the queue for long times. The differences of the opinions regarding the strike and their basi
viewpoints have been highlighted. One of the most important issues that have been found out is
that of the staff shortage. These issues and their implications on the society have been seen with
the proper focus. This will surely help to improve the scenario indeed.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
The overview of the incident...........................................................................................................3
The effects of the strike on the daily commuters.............................................................................4
The outcome of the situation...........................................................................................................5
The interference of the higher management....................................................................................6
The stance of the government and RTBU.......................................................................................7
The rift between the minister and RTBU secretary.........................................................................8
The negative impact on the minds of the commuters......................................................................9
The disruption of the train services in the region..........................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................12

3ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Introduction
The following paper discusses upon the various relevant issues in the contemporary trade
relations background. The role of the trade unions has been very much important because they
have showed their intent in the matter of interfering into the decisions of the government and
private organizations. The trade unions also have played a major role in the rail strike that took
place in the month of January in 2018. The agenda was pretty clear and the workers were very
angry in this matter. The irrelevant clauses in the agreements had resulted in the strikes and the
major parties had been involved in this. There was no other way left for the trade unions but to
call the strike as their rights had been badly hampered in the due course. The impact of this strike
was definitely heavy on the communities but this was the only way to shout and protest against
the railway administration within the country (Bowden, 2009). The life of the passengers had
been very badly halted because of the train strike. In this paper, the root cause of the strikes and
the other inherent issues would be discussed. This indeed will be very much vital for the further
research into this matter.
The overview of the incident
The role of the trade unions has always been a very important aspect in the different
organizations in Australia. In some cases, the workplace process is completely dominated by the
trade unions. The incident will be discussed in this section. In the month of January this year, the
Railway workers had become tremendously outraged due to different issues in their workplace
procedures. The outrage was seen mainly in the regions of New South Wales and Sydney. It was
very much evident that the railway workers had decided to go for strikes for a number of times
because of several reasons (Bramble, 2008). These reasons had caused serious havocs in the

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transportation system in the region. However, the demands of the workers were not baseless at
all. This was the outcome of a long running frustration among the employees (Bowden, 2009).
The protest work was mainly initialized by the workers of the New South Wales branch
of the Railway, Tram and Bus Union. The people who were involved in this protest work were
the employees who worked in the various posts of the Railway transport (Wright & Lansbury,
2014). The workers were very much outraged against the New South Wales and Sydney Trains
management. The target of all the attacks was the Transport Minister of the country Andrew
Constance. The Railway, Tram and Bus Union leaders went on to lead the protest in the best
ways they could. Another party that was involved in this process was the Fair Work Commission
of Australia (Bowden, 2011). They took their stance against that of the RTBU. There were some
root causes as to why the entire thing took place. These are:-
 There were many disagreements in the railway transport among the workers regarding the
working conditions in the region. They had stated that the management used to change
their rosters just 4 to 5 days before the festivals like Christmas and New Year.
 The workers wanted their pay scale or wages to be increased by a large amount. Till then
they were not agreed for the overwork. They were of the opinion that their wages should
be increased by at least 6% per annum. However, the Railway management was only
ready to increase the wages up to 2.5%. The salary increment was not accepted by the
Railway department. The daily commuters had been largely affected by this incident in a
huge manner as well.
The effects of the strike on the daily commuters

5ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
These strikes had huge negative impacts on the lives of the daily commuters indeed. As
the entire railways system had been broken ddonw in New South Wales and Sydney, the lives of
tne daily commuters had come to a screeching halt (Bramble & Kuhn, 2010). This widespread
chaos could not be controlled by the police since the entire system was completely down. There
were long queues everywhere in the region. The people had to suffer long delays of trains due to
these continuous strikes. Most of the drivers had participated in the program. This is why there
were not enough drivers to run the trains. Earlier the declaration came from the RTBU that the
workers of the railway would participate in the indefinite strike that would begin on the 25th of
January (Bishop & Cassidy, 2017). Their main concerns were the payment issues, the roster
changes in the festive times and the overwork issues. However, the decision of the union had
changed. Afterwards, they had decided to go for a 24 hours strike that would be held on the 29th
of January. However, an election was held in the later times (Cooper & Ellem, 2008). This
election revealed that most of the employees were in favor of the strike as their demands were
not met by the Railway department at all. However, the Fair Work Commission did not agree
with the situation since they feared the services of the NSW and Sydney railways will be
disrupted. The general public will suffer a lot and this will create a bad impression on the public
as well (Bramble & Kuhn, 2010).
The outcome of the situation
As per the progress of the situation, it began to go out of hand. This is the time when the
Railways department had somehow managed the workers for the new pay deal. This new pay
deal had been done in a way that the annual salary increase will be fixed at 3%. This annual
salary increase will go on for the next three years indeed. As this happened, the entire industrial
strike had been withdrawn by the employees and the union (Cooper & Ellem, 2008). This strike

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had been successful to some extent since the workers had been successful in achieving the better
working conditions. It was assured by the upper management that their rosters will not be
changed at the time of the festivals (Gall & Fiorito, 2012). After the entire thing, some of the
officials of the Railway, Tram and Bus Union said that most of the officials were still not happy
with the decision. Thus the RTBU has been playing a very big role in communicating with the
people in the most effective ways. The railway workers had felt that the working environment
had not been proper over the last few years (Muir, 2008). The raise of the wages had to be kept
in mind since they always deserved that wage addition because of their complex work they
perform day after day. The RTBU will definitely cope up with the different employment
challenges properly by highlighting them to the higher management (Peetz, 1998).
The interference of the higher management
It has been a huge issue for the daily commuters during those times. The railway
management has been very much active in this situation (Gahan, & Pekarek, 2012). However, it
had been said by the secretary of NSW railway union that the passengers had been given the
proper notice about this issue. They have been suggested to make the alternative arrangements
for themselves. The demand of the revision in the enterprise agreements had given the rise to this
fact in the proper manner (Peetz & Russell, 2000). This is why the railway workers could not
find any other option but to go for the strike positively. The Railway Tram and Bus Union also
expressed their views that they did not want to take such kind of action but the circumstances
had made him do that. They were very angry at the Transport Minister mainly since he had not
made any proper announcements. The daily commuters had been standing in the long lines to
catch the trains. In this matter, the chief executive of the Sydney Trains had given the warning

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that chaos would increase if drivers made refusals to work in an unplanned way or they were
being under the overtime roster (Peetz & Russell, 2000).
As per the union secretary of the New South Wales railway union, the union had been
trying to make the proper negotiations with the government regarding the enterprise agreements
for more than six months. The government did not show any kinds of signs in revising the
enterprise agreements (Peetz, 2006). There have been around 9000 workers in the NSW
Railways and the government has not been able to make any amendments in the process. The
secretary of the RTBU has always emphasized on the fact that the payment and basic conditions
always have an impact on the safety of the workers. The NSW Government and the train
management have refused to make any talks about the changes in the payment and basic
conditions. The safety of the workers has been hampered very badly as well (Peetz, 2012).
The stance of the government and RTBU
This is why the railway management has not treating with the employees very badly. The
hard-working employees have been deprived of their opportunities regarding the pay rise. The
employees have said that they demand the fair working conditions that will help them to work in
a better manner (Peetz & Bailey, 2012). The increase in the wages will also keep them in a safe
position indeed. The government had the power to put a halt to the strike if they wanted to. The
railway strike could be withdrawn by the negotiation process for the ‘fair agreement’. He also
has added the fact the railway workers are not at all happy about the current rostering system and
day off claims. These things have been very much problematic for the current management of the
organization. Mr. Classens, the secretary of the NSW Union has opined that the employees want
the proper recognition for the hard work that they put in every day in and day out. The

8ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
employees have wanted the 6% pay rise per annum so they can get a better recognition for their
works indeed (Peetz & Bailey, 2012).
The Transport Minister Andrew Constance has opined that this strike by the RTBU to be
extremely foolish and ridiculous. He has termed this action by the RTBU as ‘weird behavior’.
Mr. Constance has said that this step is just not worth it since the RTBU is not putting their
services for the customers as the first priority indeed. He has feared that the entire city will be
shut down if this action is being implemented properly (Schmitt & Mitukiewicz, 2012). The ego
and the demands of the RTBU union have been put first well ahead of the customers. This is not
the right way to approach the situation. The Government was trying to increase the pay wages of
the employees as per their wage policy as of 2.5% per annum. The demand of increasing it 6%
per annum is entirely illogical as well. Mr. Constance has requested the union to put the
customers as the first priority indeed and withdraw their strike. As the employees had voted in
favor of taking the action of the strike it has become a big headache for the organization as well.
It has been observed that around 94% of the Sydney railway employees have voted in favor of
the strike and 90% of the NSW railway employees have given their votes in favor of the strike
(Oliver, 2016).
The rift between the minister and RTBU secretary
It has been seen in this context that the Transport Minister of the country has been very
much arrogant about this issue and he has stuck with his point of not supporting the issue of the
strike. The union has played a major role in protesting against the current enterprise agreements
to which the railway workers of NSU and Sydney are subjected to. The NSW union secretary
Classens has put the entire blame on the minister. This has been a huge problem and

9ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
misunderstanding between the two people since the lives of the passengers would be highly
affected in this way. Mr. Classenns has also asked for forgiveness to the daily commuters and
has also said that they would be able to provide better services if the NSW and Sydney
government would listen to their plea. This activeness of the employees and the RTBU has been
very much influential for the betterment of the process. The daily commuters have been enraged
at the decision of this strike indeed (Schmitt & Mitukiewicz, 2012). The viewpoint of the
Transport Minister of putting the customers first cannot be ignored as well. Mr. Classens also has
been enraged and said that they have been trying their best to make Mr. Constance talk to them
about the issue. However, not much could be achieved by their point as well. He has accused the
Transport Minister has been very much accused and RTBU has not been able to communicate
with them in the best manners. The suggestion of the RTBU had been rejected by Mr. Constance
in an abrupt manner. The additional demands of the train drivers were that they did not want to
work overtime as they put in a lot of hard work already (Yates & Fairbrother, 2013).
The negative impact on the minds of the commuters
As the commuters have largely felt the impact of this strike, they have complained
against this thing widely. They have taken out their anger and frustration on the social media as
they were badly embarrassed. The delays were so immense that they could not board the trains
that came after a long time because the immense overcrowd. The Transport Minister has termed
it as ‘an act of God’. Some of the travelers could not even enter some of the platforms in the
areas like Central and Wynyard due to the immense overcrowding of the station (Yates &
Fairbrother, 2013). The RTBU Union did not want to take the responsibility of this since they
held the Sydney and NSW Government for the entire mishap. The three strikes almost took out
the various areas in regards to the train routes, signaling system and substations. This factor has

10ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
been termed as ‘an act of God’ by the arrogant transport minister. He also apologized to all the
commuters since earlier they put more trains in the region of Sydney and NSW to support the
overall growth of the region and the benefits of the daily commuters (Creighton, Denvir &
McCrystal, 2017). The problem has been the fact that more drivers than expected have gone on
sick leave. The reasons for the delays as described by the railway management have been shown
as these sick leaves, the bad weather and the increase in the patronage. These things will have to
be looked after with a better manner indeed. This is how the organization could cope up with the
problems (Wright & Lansbury, 2014).
The disruption of the train services in the region
The disruption in the train services has been such that the passengers have been very ill
affected. Some of the senior officials have termed this incident as the train service that is
provided in the various third world cities. The opposition leader of the New South Wales union
has opined these delays cannot be accepted at all (Fairbrother, Lévesque & Hennebert, 2013).
These disruptions have been so immense that the passengers have raised their voices in the social
media as well. The passengers have been stopped by the employees and the barriers in the
platforms (Fossum, 2014). These things have been very much crucial as highlighted by the
passengers. About 40 drivers were on sick leave and this had been the major cause for the delays
indeed. Amidst these problems, the Transport Minister tried to lighten the matter by saying the
drivers had fallen sick and it was not abnormal. He emphasized on the matter that he himself had
been ill a few days back (Wilkinson et al., 2014).
It had been found that there has been a huge staff shortage. This staff shortage could also
be a huge matter in this context. The railway management has said that the current drivers had

11ADVANCED STUDIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
been made to work overtime because of these staff shortages. The NSW government is made to
be the liable party since they have no such people who could work in place of the drivers who
have been ill. The RTBU has been very much agitated regarding this matter and they have said
the NSW Government can be held entirely responsible for this affair. The further investigations
would have to be carried on in this regard indeed. The senior officials also added that would have
to work harder after the dismissal of the strike. It is because they will have to make the people
reach their homes safely (Levinson, 2013).
Conclusion
As per the above discussion, the conclusion can be drawn in this regard that the strike
called by the Railway, Tram and Bus Union has been very much hazardous for the passengers.
This has caused many problems across the region as well. The fight between the Sydney and
NSW Union has been going on largely since the employees have gone for the sick leaves. This
has broken down the entire system. This is why the railway management is looking forward to
take some strict decisions by which the entire problem could be solved. The payment issues and
the issues regarding the roster will have to be taken care to avoid such havoc problems. Another
issue that has been identified behind this strike is that of the staff shortage. The union leaders and
a large section of the employees have also urged the NSW Government to take the proper and
strict actions against this issue. This will benefit the purpose and smooth railway operations
could be provided. These things are extremely essential for the railways management to consider
since the priority of the customers should be put at first.

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