Members of the union representing rail workers have voted to go on strike over pay and conditions at a meeting on Wednesday afternoon. It means Sydneysiders face a complicated and stressful commute to work starting Thursday.
Industrial action will commence on Thursday, with an indefinite ban on employees working overtime. A 24-hour Sydney-wide strike will begin next Monday.
The announcement came after a week of heated meetings between Sydney and NSW trains management and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RBTU).
“We’re taking every step we can to avoid industrial action on Monday, that’s been our position since the outset,” NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Wednesday, ahead of the union’s announcement.
“As premier, this concerns me greatly.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, only 5.93% of the 6,100 rail staff who are members of the union voted in support of suspending a planned strike.
Transport NSW published a statement on Wednesday afternoon warning the public that train services would be significantly reduced from Thursday, January 25, and across the Australia Day long weekend. Transport NSW recommended employers talk with their staff about alternative working arrangements and to expect delays.
Sydneysiders were greeted by signs on Wednesday morning telling them the Thursday timetable will resemble the state's usual weekend timetable.
Weekend timetable for Sydney Trains tomorrow due to strike. Gonna be real calm and relaxed on the platform I’m sure.
Alex Claassens, secretary for the RBTU, fronted media on Wednesday afternoon to say the package presented to the union by Sydney and NSW Transport was not acceptable.
"Unfortunately my members have overwhelmingly decided that the offer on the table is nowhere near good enough, and the industrial action will continue," he said.
Claassens said the new timetable introduced in 2018 was "the straw that broke the camel's back" and that predictions of "Armageddon" on Sydney's train network tomorrow would be tested.
"We've been saying all along that we needed the transport minister Andrew Constance to come to the table and put some real positions down. We need the minister to come to the table tomorrow and front the delegates...and bring his A-game and actually help us fix this mess.
"This is not about money. The minister kept trying to make this about money. I have always said that it's about conditions. This is about our working conditions and our right to have days off for God's sake."
Claassens said the strike was a long time coming.
"I was begging people to respect our workforce," he said. "I never wanted to be in this position. First time in a long time where we're actually saying we're not going to do the job that we are employed to do."