Sydney rail workers offer ‘peace deal’ to stop industrial action in time for Christmas on these conditions

Rail workers have proposed a late night “peace deal” to the NSW government offering to drop proposed industrial action that is threatening to derail festive plans, including the city’s iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says it would cease its industrial action immediately if the state government dropped its legal case against them and offers free fares to commuters.

The RTBU and five others unions’ also said workers would not start any new industrial action until January 7, if the government accepted the offer and returned to the table to settle an ongoing pay dispute.

“We think this is a sensible way forward, and we think that the government should really embrace this,” RTBU NSW secretary Toby Warnes told ABC News Breakfast on Monday morning.

Mr Warnes said the offer had been sent to the government and the businesses that lodged applications with the Fair Work Commission in a bid to stop the strike action, which triggered mass disruptions at the weekend.

A hearing is scheduled for Christmas Eve, but Mr Warnes said the union is “hoping we can resolve this before then”.

The NSW government, however, has reportedly already knocked back the deal and called for the unions “to drop their action”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Mr Warnes told the ABC the union had not “heard a peep” from the government.

The union said its offer would remain open until 1pm on Monday.

Sydney commuters felt a taste of the potential all-out train chaos with mass delays and cancellations over the weekend as the workers ramped up their industrial action amid a roiling pay dispute with the NSW government.

According to the Daily Telegraph, almost 600 Sydney rail services were cancelled on Saturday with more than 50 per cent being either late or cancelled. The Intercity network also saw trains running at 48 per cent.

Mr Warnes rejected claims those disruptions were due solely to the strike — he said the workers’ action was being used as a “convenient excuse” when 80 per cent of the disruptions were due to “scheduled track work”.

“But we say to commuters that the government now has an offer on the table that would see absolute peace until January 7,” Mr Warnes added.

“If the government has already said no, that’s extremely disappointing and it shows where their real priorities lie — which is trying to bolster its case in the Fair Work Commission, rather than trying to come to a position where we can provide proper services for the festive season.”

Rail workers began strike action last Thursday after the NSW Government lost its Federal Court bid to block the industrial action — which included limiting the number of kilometres workers will travel and a ban on part of their signalling system.

The government then filed an application to the Fair Work Commission to suspend or terminate the action on the grounds of safety and economic harm. Large hospitality and entertainment groups — including Laundy Hotels, Merivale, Ryan’s Hotel Group and Luna Park — joined the application outlining the hurt caused to their businesses.

According to Transport for NSW analysis, Sydney’s rail network will be 200 drivers short on New Year’s Eve if workers proceed with planned industrial action.

The NSW government said the the delays risked deadly crowd crushes and a spike in antisocial behaviour as frustrations over disrupted services boiled over.

On Thursday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she had “grave concerns” for New Years revellers’ safety if the strikes went ahead.

She said she may have no choice but to recommend the iconic Sydney harbour fireworks display be cancelled if the unions did not back down.

But Mr Warnes called Ms Webb’s warning “a pure media stunt” and said the government’s Fair Work application, which included a police statement, did not include any mention of cancelling the fireworks.

He also reiterated the strikes would cause “extremely minimal disruption, not the catastrophe that’s being espoused in the media”.

“We’re in this for the long haul, I think it’s probably something that the government doesnt’ really understand,” Mr Warnes said of the strike.

“We want the government to come back to the table and discuss with us how we finish off this bargain, rather than just being a perpetual fight for the next nine months.”

With the union and state government at an impasse, tehre have been calls for the Federal Government to get involved in the dispute, given the RTBU falls under federal jurisdiction.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told The Sunday Telegraph he supported the NSW Labor government “which is seeking s sensible outcome”.

Mr Albanese said disrupting New Year celebrations would “alienate the public”. He said “common sense should prevail”.