There's reprieve for Sydney's train commuters, after unions called off all industrial action that threatened to disrupt the network. In response, the Minns government has dropped a legal bid to block protected action. Both sides are claiming victory, but the peace may be short-lived.
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00:00Tough talk from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, as organisers arrived at the Fair Work Commission.
00:08We believe their case is flimsy.
00:11But as the hearing began, it was revealed the unions had withdrawn the protected industrial action the government had applied to stop.
00:18If the RTBU had lost, the Tribunal might have had to settle the pay dispute through arbitration, something the union wants to avoid.
00:25It's not something that we're interested in engaging in, so we did everything in our power to ensure that the application was dropped by the government.
00:33The government was going to argue the action would endanger the public and harm the economy.
00:37But with the unions committing not to relodge those bans, it discontinued the case.
00:42We took strong action to protect passengers and that's exactly what has been achieved.
00:47Passengers are still scarred from last week's network meltdown, which the government blamed on the 350 work bans in place.
00:54It was an absolute nightmare.
00:56It took me five hours to get to the hospital and back.
00:58There's nothing to stop the unions taking different kinds of potentially disruptive action, but they must give at least ten days' notice.
01:05If the government doesn't come back to the bargaining table, we really have no other choice than to re-escalate our campaign.
01:11Electrical workers at Sydney Trains are already planning a new round of action, potentially beginning within the fortnight, but their union has undertaken to limit the stoppages.
01:21The parties are still some way apart. The ask is still unaffordable.
01:27Although there's relief for now, it's passengers who may once again pay the price.