Commuters in a single main Aussie metropolis may face journey ache because the rail union threatens to strike throughout a serious occasion interval.
Trains throughout Melbourne may come to a cease as pay negotiations between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and Metro Trains come to a head over their expired enterprise settlement.
The union stated they’re taking a look at stopping trains for as much as 48-hours later this month.
It may result in main commuter complications with the AFL finals, Melbourne Royal Show and college holidays in late September.
“Metro is not listening to staff,” RTBU secretary Vik Sharma stated on Tuesday.
“Metro’s last offer fell far from the mark and has only agitated members across the network.
“We are yet to see meaningful commitments on the issues that matter to RTBU members.”
“Job security, increased workloads, cost of living pressures, staffing levels and delivery of major projects such as Metro Tunnel, new ticketing and signalling technologies are all relevant factors in this bargaining round.”
The union is asking for a 16 per cent pay bump over the course of 4 years.
The enterprise settlement has been beneath negotiation since March and has been expired for 2 months, with the union rejecting two “subpar” affords from the federal government.
“Following meetings with workplace representatives, members have made it clear they will not accept an offer from Metro that fails to address their demands,” an RTBU spokesman stated.
“The union has filed documents with the Fair Work Commission for Metro operations staff to take industrial action.”
Members will vote on whether or not they take the economic motion and if profitable, the union has promised to minimise the affect it would have on commuters.
“We are focused on targeting Metro while seeking to minimise the impact on the travelling public and as such we are committed to providing sufficient notice for alternative travel plans to be made,” Mr Sharma stated.
While rail strikes are an everyday characteristic on Sydney’s transport community, there has not been a rail strike of this scale in Melbourne since 2015.
Metro Trains have been contacted for remark.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
