SYDNEY — Electricians working for Sydney Trains walked off the job for eight hours here Feb. 12, part of an ongoing fight for a new contract. Some 200 members of the Electrical Trades Union from different depots joined a rally in the city center before marching on the state Parliament. Chanting “Union power!” they marched behind a coffin painted, “Workers safety comes last.”
Sydney Trains is run by the New South Wales state government. This is the first work stoppage there in decades.
Workers from the Hornsby depot told the Militant they’re fighting for parity with electricians who do the same work at private companies. Another issue is the way shifts are allocated. They said workers can end a night shift at 6 a.m. and then be scheduled for the following day at 5 a.m. It gives no time for family. Workers carried placards demanding, “More work-life balance.”
“We’re marching because Sydney Trains is trying to water down safety, which will lead to loss of jobs and safety standards,” union organizer Jesse Savill said.
The bosses are trying to remove parts of the contract that cover workers being consulted on safety and rosters. And the union is fighting for workers to have a say when new technology is introduced. “We’re sending a clear message to the Labor government, there’s no way we will give away safety and consultation about changes,” Electrical Trades Union secretary Allen Hicks told the rally.
At the same time, members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union at Sydney Trains have been fighting for over nine months for a contract for 13,000 workers. After negotiations with the state Labor government broke down Feb.13, the union proposed that drivers take limited industrial action by a slowdown.
The government responded by sending out notices threatening drivers that they wouldn’t be paid if they took action — effectively imposing a lockout, which caused chaos on the rail network.