NSW rail union dismisses offer as ‘stunt’

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A concession from the NSW government designed to avert another train strike this week has been dismissed by the rail union as “a stunt”.

The union is scathing about the latest offer contained in “an eleventh-hour letter” after a weekend spent negotiating the industrial stoush that’s caused widespread disruption for commuters all year.

Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW secretary Alex Claassens said “this latest stunt by the government doesn’t add anything to the progression of the dispute”.

“You can’t just send us a letter late on Sunday, especially one as poorly drafted as this, and expect everyone to jump to attention,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Employee Relations Minister Damien Tudehope said the government had withdrawn its requirement that a new enterprise agreement be reached before it begins modifications the union wants on the New Intercity Fleet (NIF).

The sticking point in the protracted negotiations has been the government’s insistence the agreement be locked in before the modifications begin.

“After appropriate testing and warranty confirmation, the government will immediately authorise the commencement of work to make the alterations to the NIF,” Mr Tudehope said in a statement on Monday.

“The offer is conditional upon the rail unions agreeing that, pending the finalisation of the new enterprise agreement, all unions will call off any further industrial action.”

However, Mr Claassens said the union needed more time “to work through the letter and sit down and explain what they mean by it”.

“If they don’t then this really was just a stunt to get a headline,” he said.

“When we get something that is capable of us accepting, we can move forward with the democratic process of taking it to our members and delegates, for them to decide on it.”

He accused a “revolving door of ministers” of spreading misinformation about the dispute “for the benefit of the members and the travelling public”.

The mothballed NIF has been at the centre of negotiations with the union, which maintains the trains are not yet safe to operate in NSW.

The union has been conducting industrial action including targeted, rolling stoppages throughout August.

The action is due to culminate with workers refusing to operate foreign made trains on Wednesday, which would affect about 70 per cent of the fleet.

Negotiations continue at a meeting between rail unions and government officials on Monday.

– AAP