Rail union and NSW government meet to discuss end to industrial action

The rail union must promise to scrap planned strikes before the NSW government will agree to start work on modifying new intercity trains.

The offer is conditional upon the union agreeing to cancel planned industrial action however may have arrived too late to stop a strike planned for Wednesday.

“This offer is made by the government … as an attempt to bring to an end the ongoing dispute,” Mr Tudehope wrote in a letter to union leaders on Sunday.

A statement from the Rail Train and Bus Union (RTBU) has called the contents of the letter “contradictory and ambiguous” and said it was “not entirely clear” what the union was being asked to do in exchange.

“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,” RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said.

The union has said it will need 48 hours to canvass delegates about the final wording of the deed guaranteeing modifications to the state’s new intercity train fleet.

“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,” Mr Claassens said.

This leaves a small window for rail workers to cancel plans to not drive foreign-built trains – which make up three-quarters of the city’s train fleet – on Wednesday.

A meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday has been moved forward two days to discuss the deed as well as the new enterprise agreement.

The NSW government has withdrawn the requirement that alterations to the new intercity fleet be dependent upon the finalisation of the new enterprise agreement.

The government has committed to “immediately” authorising the fleet modifications once the appropriate testing and warranty confirmations have been complete.