The strike is expected to cause traffic chaos in Sydney. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation Photo)
Sydney train company (Sydney Train) workers voted Wednesday to hold a 24-hour strike next Monday, a move that would disrupt traffic in Sydney, Australia`s largest city. New state governor Berkshire (Gladys Berejiklian) called on new state commuters to check the train schedule in a timely manner and be fully prepared so that delays can be avoided as far as possible.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the train, tram and bus union (RTBU) voted by text on whether or not to strike next Monday, with less than 6 percent of the union`s 6000 new state members inclined to work as usual. Sydney`s train flights will be sharply reduced from Thursday, following government`s claim that if strike continues, government will resort to justice, in addition to doing everything it can to deal with it. The new state fair work committee on Wednesday afternoon opened a hearing on whether the union is entitled to the strike.
The strike crisis on the Sydney train even alarmed Prime Minister Tan Po (Malcolm Turnbull), who on Tuesday called on unions to accept the terms offered by the new state government, saying that only commuters would be affected by threatening strike to negotiate terms with government or bus authorities. It is hoped that trade unions will put the interests of commuters in the first place.
The unions had hoped for a 6 percent increase, although the goverment wanted to stay between 2.75 percent and 3 percent, but offered free bus services to workers and a one-off subsidy of A $1000 per person.
Train strike increases transport costs Sydney commuters may be forced to take annual leave
The Sydney Chamber of Commerce had earlier predicted that the train strike would cost Sydney`s economy a day, and commuters working in the city would face heavy loss of blood because they would have to pay for their own taxi ride or the cost of parking their own cars.
According to News Corp, a number of large companies in Sydney`s CBD emailed employees to encourage them to take paid leave next Monday on train strike. Some employers encourage employees to work remotely next Monday to avoid traffic problems.
A law firm with hundreds of employees in Sydney`s CBD office requires employees to either work as usual or take a day off, saying employees have the responsibility to arrange commuting issues on their own and that the company is not responsible for the cost of other commutes or parking fees. But some big banks are much more generous. Australian New Zealand Bank (ANZ) and Western Pacific Bank (Westpac) both encouraged employees to stay away from work, and some cafes in the city decided to close for a day next Monday.
It is said that ANZ and others have assured employees that they will not be allowed to bear additional commuting costs and that they will also be provided with vouchers for taxi-hailing.
In addition to the chaos in Sydney`s train service, the train in charge of NSW Train Link, a rural area in the new state, will also be affected, according to the RTBU union.
However, Sydney`s bus, tram and ferry services are not affected by this strike and will operate as usual. But with many people forced to abandon trains on Monday, the already overcrowded buses are expected to worsen.
