The NSW state government is pleading with the Rail, Tram & Bus Union not to block the rollout of the new Metro at Bankstown. The union wants extra staff to work on the driverless trains and is threatening to prevent construction work beginning on the new extension. The industrial action could also throw the existing network into chaos on one the biggest weekends of the year, so the government is offering free train travel.
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00:00The Swans at the SCG, the Rugby League at the SFS, the Bledisloe Cup at Homebush, hundreds
00:08of thousands of fans could face delays getting to their matches as the rail tram and bus
00:12union plays hardball with the government.
00:15They know that they have got them wedged and commuters are paying the price for this.
00:20Current bans on flexible working are already threatening reliability on the T3 Bankstown
00:25line.
00:26If the government gives 50 cent fares there is no industrial action.
00:29But the union's also threatening separate action beginning Saturday aimed at depriving
00:34the government of the workers it needs to start the metro extension to Bankstown.
00:38If there are delays and there is not an agreement reached the cost will be over $100 million
00:45a month in delays.
00:46I think that's really annoying to be honest.
00:49There's a reason for their strike I believe.
00:51Good luck to them.
00:52The union is hoping to negotiate a 32% pay rise over four years but it insists its main
00:58focus is the safety of the driverless metro.
01:01Unlike the current line, the new stretch will mostly be at ground level and the RTBU fears
01:06there will be a collision.
01:07Animals or people or God forbid children.
01:11We've taken away the safety controls that the rest of our rail network enjoys.
01:16The government says overpasses will be equipped with three metre high screens to stop people
01:20or objects getting onto the tracks.
01:22At ground level there will be outer and inner fences to prevent people getting into the
01:26rail corridor.
01:28If they do there will be thousands of CCTV cameras as well as sensors monitoring for
01:32vibrations that will immediately stop the trains.
01:36What I'd say to the union is don't let the communities of South West Sydney be denied
01:42the metro service that they have been promised for more than five years.
01:46If this industrial action drags on they could be waiting even longer.