Rail unions given 24 hours to call off industrial action

The NSW government has given rail unions 24 hours to call off all industrial action before it tears up a $1 billion offer to modify the intercity train fleet and risk the termination of its pay deal.

Employee Relations Minister Damien Tudehope on Thursday warned the union that unless all industrial action across the Sydney train network was called off by 5pm on Friday, the government would scrap its offer to make safety improvements to the intercity fleet.

“What I say is in respect of a decision to further engage in industrial activity, think very carefully about it,” Tudehope said.

In a dramatic escalation to the long-running dispute, Premier Dominic Perrottet on Wednesday warned the unions that any new industrial action would result in the government dragging them before the courts and tearing up a $1 billion offer to modify the intercity fleet.

But Tudehope on Thursday said that industrial action could not be the trigger to terminate an existing bargaining agreement.

“I think I am giving clarity to what [Perrottet] said yesterday. Industrial action in and of itself is not a the trigger for the Fair Work Commission to terminate the existing EBA,” Tudehope told the Herald.

“The Government’s position is that ongoing industrial action is evidence that the rail unions are not interested in coming to a negotiated outcome and justifies an application to the Fair Work Commission to provide an alternate dispute resolution process should the government’s offer for modification to the NIF and a new EA be rejected.”

Despite Tudehope’s comments, the RTBU was sent an updated deed at 3pm on Thursday warning that unless all planned industrial action was called off, the government would seek to terminate the union’s enterprise agreement.