NSW Trains attempts to sue its own workers

Dear members,

Please see below the latest RTBU NSW Branch email sent out last Friday regarding the NIF.

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NSW Trains sues its own workers to introduce unsafe train

7 May 2021

Dear Members,

Since RTBU Delegates rejected the Transport for NSW bribe of 4% for drivers and a $2500 payment for Drivers and Guards, NSW Trains and Transport for NSW have been eerily quiet.

At 5:25pm this evening (in the legal world, they call it a “Friday Special”), the Union received notification that NSW Trains and Transport for NSW are suing their own workers in a desperate attempt to force them to crew the unsafe NIF in revenue service.

Through NSW Trains, the NSW Government is trying to obtain orders that would force you to crew the New Intercity Fleet (NIF) in its current and unsafe form regardless of the risks to both workers and the community. Remember, an independent rail safety expert has stated that the operating model proposed by NSW Trains puts the community at serious risk.

In an unnecessary act of aggression, NSW Trains and the NSW Government are coming after their workforce who are rightly standing up for safety. They are saying if we refuse to put the community at risk and not crew the NIF on safety grounds, that we are taking unlawful industrial action.

This legal action from NSW Trains comes a mere day after the threat from the Transport Minister to force Driver Only Operations on the entire network, and all of this as we head into Enterprise Bargaining.

In communications to employees tonight, NSW Trains stated that it has been trying to reach agreement with the Union for 4 years. Nothing could be further from the truth. For years, Delegates have told NSW Trains repeatedly that the proposed operating model is unsafe and have been ignored. Make no mistake, the introduction of the NIF in its current form is about blind ideology with a complete disregard for anything or anyone else.

We will fight for safety with every weapon in our arsenal, and the biggest weapon we have is members standing together and taking collective action.

Things are moving quickly, so keep your eye on your phone and inbox over the coming weeks.

In Union,

RTBU