Train commuters in Sydney have experienced more travel disruptions as the union’s pay dispute with the government deepens. The state government successfully blocked workers from taking further industrial action with a last-minute court injunction. But the legal action has potentially derailed hopes of a deal being struck any time soon.
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00:00A familiar announcement for Sydney commuters over the last five months.
00:09Customers, please allow extra travel time as delays and cancellations are expected across
00:14most of the network.
00:15Yeah, I'll be late today, yeah, I'll be definitely, I'll be late.
00:18It's affecting all of us here, and when are they going to finish this?
00:22After another fortnight of negotiations, the State Government and rail unions were still
00:27unable to agree on a new pay rise.
00:30So transport officials sought an 11th hour court injunction, banning members from taking
00:36any industrial action.
00:38We need to protect passengers, we need to keep our city moving.
00:42But it was too late to bring on extra services for the Monday morning rush.
00:47Overall, around 30% of the network was affected, with 75 trains delayed and at least 18 cancelled,
00:56mostly on the inner city and suburban lines.
00:59I'm sorry that we haven't been able to reach an agreement.
01:02How close they came, though, differs on who you ask.
01:05At the end of the day, the two sides were too far apart, and we can't just hand over
01:10a blank cheque.
01:11On Saturday night, we were within a whisker of reaching an agreement with the government.
01:15The injunction may have brought the government and commuters some reprieve, but the union
01:19says it's also pushed any prospect of a future deal being struck much further down the track,
01:26raising the potential for even more industrial action around Christmas time.
01:31But for now, services will return to normal, while both parties prepare for court later
01:37this week.